Potato Milk: A Rising Dairy Alternative That Is Much More Land-Efficient
Plant-based milks are on the rise. We know of things like almond, oat, coconut, soy milks. There are many more options, and there’s bound to be one for everyone.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s another contender that most wouldn’t have considered. Potato milk.
This might not be your first time hearing of it—after all, British supermarket chain Waitrose declared that “it is the turn of the potato” in an annual food and drinks report, spotted by Input. It also announced that it would begin to stock potato milk on its shelves this month thanks to demand.
Swedish startup DUG, owned by Veg of Lund, is the main pioneer of this quirky milk alternative, with its base in Malmö, Sweden, a city that also hosts the well-known Oatly.
Currently, there are three variations of potato milk on offer: Original, Barista, and Unsweetened. Waitrose will be stocking DUG milk on its shelves.
The milk contains mainly potato (6%), water, and rapeseed oil. Other ingredients are things like vitamins, flavoring and additives like pea protein and chicory fiber, per Forbes.
Cultivating potatoes is much better for the environment, DUG claims, stating that the crop is twice as land-efficient as oats are. It also uses 56 times less water than almonds.
Compared to dairy, the potato milk has around 75% lower climate footprint, of course.
View this post on Instagram
DUG potato milk has already been branded an award-winning beverage, taking home prizes at the recent World Food Innovation Awards. It took home first place for Best Allergy-Friendly Product, and runner-up for Best Plant-Based Beverage.
Forbes also reports that the British market for plant-based milks is valued at around £400 million (US$541 million) per year, with the beverage accounting for about 10% of total milk sales in the US.
Sales of plant-based dairy alternatives are currently approaching US$2 billion, and that number is expected to be exceeded soon.
“At the moment the focus lies very much in making the UK launch a huge success, but we certainly see the U.S. as being a key strategic market in the future,” Veg of Lund’s marketing manager explains to Thrillist.
If it’s a success in the UK—and it’s looking hopeful so far—we can expect to see potato milk hit the US and other international markets. Maybe it’ll be your new favorite.
View this post on Instagram
[via Input and Forbes, images via DUG Drinks]
