Too sweet, too sticky, or just right? Oat milk continues to increase in popularity. But which drink will win the race for customers favorite is still up in the air. In an internal isi test, isi sensory experts Cordula Lampe and Ruth Schädlich took a close look at the drivers of product liking in the oat milk market. Their findings: Manufacturers who want to expand their market opportunities should know which attributes give their drink product a competitive edge in the marketplace.
When Cordula Lampe, Senior Project Manager at isi, sits down to breakfast with her family, she looks out at a richly laid table with two cartons of milk. On the table, there is a choice of cow’s milk or oat milk. “I prefer oat milk,” the sensory expert explains, “my husband prefers cow’s milk and my children switch between the two.”
Nothing illustrates the current trend toward oat drinks (the official name for “oat milk” under the German food law) better than this snapshot of Cordula Lampe’s breakfast table. Oat drinks have steadily established themselves as an alternative to cow's milk. While some still cannot envision switching from cow's milk to oat milk, the next generation has started to take this alternative in stride, and some are likely to choose the plant-based drink permanently. Many of our preferences are learned, including those for milk. However, the desire for a tasty combination of fat, sweetness, creaminess that is also associated with nutritiousness and a sense of security is deeply ingrained in us.
Ever Better Positioning for milk alternatives
While consumption of cow's milk has fallen, the market for milk substitutes has grown. According to an analysis by Report & Data, the annual growth rate for oat milk is around seven percent. Hundreds of oat drinks have virtually flooded the market, and consumers are frequently overwhelmed by the variety of oat drinks choice lining the shelves. Manufacturers are also sometimes blindly developing new oat drinks.
“It would make more sense for companies to identify in advance which taste experience the targeted customers prefer and then position themselves in this space,” reports Ruth Schädlich, Sensory Project Manager at isi. A prerequisite for this is to have a comprehensive understanding of the market for oat drinks.
This was the impetus for Cordula Lampe and Ruth Schädlich’s decision to conduct an internal isi study. “We wanted to know how the sensory profile of the oat milks differs,” explains Ruth Schädlich.
More and more oat drinks are entering the market.
69 Oat milks on stage
For the test, they selected 69 oat drinks from 24 manufacturers. These included brands such as Oatly, Berief, Natumi and Kölln. The aim was to draw a visual map showing how which drink in the group of oat drinks can be classified in sensory terms. Is it thin or creamy? Neutral or sweet? Does the oatiness stand out or other flavors?
Nine study participants tested the products in the isi laboratory in Göttingen. They sipped all the drinks and rated the sweetness on a scale of 1 to 5. The participants then exchanged views and decided by consensus which were the distinguishable characteristics and how to compare them to one another. Does Drink A taste more oaty than Drink B, but less than Drink C?
Thus, over the course of the study, the testers were able to span a two-dimensional space in which each sample found its place on the map. The advantage of this method, which is called “Mapping” in sensory research: It is highly efficient because it delivers meaningful results in a noticeably short time and allows several products to be tested simultaneously.
Product groups and trends reveal themselves in the resulting map.
From thin to creamy, from oat to coconut flavor – the oat drinks in Germany span a wide sensory range.
Are you curious where the individual brands are positioned on the map? Here, you can download the complete map, including all brand names.
A guiding light in a jungle of choice
Products further to the right on the X-axis are characterized by their more distinct oat flavor. Products further up on the Y axis are perceived as comparatively creamier.
Does this mean that the products in the upper right quadrant taste especially good? “No. To establish this requires a more extensive test.,” explains Ruth Schädlich. However, a test with all sixty-nine products would be time-consuming and expensive, as every product would have to be compared with each and every other product.
For manufacturers interested in launching a new oat drink, for example, or who want to better understand their own position in the market, it would be sufficient to select five comparative products from the flavor map. They could cover areas such as oatiness, creaminess and sweetness. In this way, the product development team can see how the new product positions itself on the map. The preferences of consumers are captured in a complete overview.
Analysis reveals peculiarities
“The map is intended to prevent flying blindly through the product development process,” emphasizes Cordula Lampe. With the help of more narrowly tailored tests, the desired coordinates can then be better targeted. For example, questions about the appearance of the drink or its use – in the morning coffee or with a bowl of cereal – play a role. Of course, manufacturers can also deliberately position themselves in certain areas that distinguish and set them apart from the herd; for example, with fermented, vanilla, or caramel notes.
With the help of the data obtained through the study, the isi team discovered further correlations and peculiarities. For example, the analysis shows that the sugar content enhances the flavor of the oats. However, if flavors such as vanilla or chocolate were added, then these were enhanced by the sugar. Sugar content also increased creaminess, but only when the oat content in the drink was low. Salt partially masked the sweetness.
Sweet drinks dominate
One result surprised Ruth Schädlich. Not only the chocolate and vanilla flavored oat drinks were found to be significantly sweet, but also some classic and even some unsweetened drinks. In addition, some drinks intended specifically for coffee (barista products) scored as not very sweet. In general, however, the majority of the products tested were rated as rather sweet. “It would be interesting to see if there is a market for drinks without sweetness,” explains Ruth Schädlich.
Some drinks also left the testers with unpleasant sensory impressions. Cardboardy, rancid, bitter, chemical, sour were some descriptions. Manufacturers could react to such undesirable flavors with a targeted recipe change. It should be taken into consideration, however, whether these off-flavors could also have a positive effect on the taste experience when used in coffee.
Oat milk in coffee does not always have to be sweet.
Conquering new markets
In Germany, sales of oat drinks tripled between 2018 and 2020, reports the EU-funded smart protein project. According to Toni Petersson, group CEO of Sweden's Oatly Group, sales of Oatly oat drinks grew by about 50 percent in 2021. Worldwide, many markets have not even been tapped into yet. In Germany, the milk alternative – from canteens to on-board bistros – is gaining acceptance in more and more areas. Yes, even the Deutsche Bahn has also been offering oat drinks since the beginning of the year.
Anyone who jumps on the right bandwagon now can conquer new markets. This applies not only to oat drinks, but also to other milk alternatives. For example, the start-up Remilk from Tel Aviv is developing a “cow's milk” based on microbial fermentation.
Who will win the race in the oat drink market is a question yet to be answered. According to the isi map, it could be the drinks slightly to the north-east on the map that vie for customers' favor and strike the right balance of oatiness, sweetness and creaminess. But even on the periphery, special customer segments could be successfully addressed with targeted recipes. However, manufacturers should not rely solely on their gut feeling. Scientifically based sensory consumer research provides the foundation for successfully steering product developments.
Contact
Ruth Schädlich
isi GmbH
Ascherberg 2
37124 Rosdorf / Goettingen
ruth-katrin.schaedlich@isi-insights.com
Pictures: Portrait/Robert Ortmann; Oat drinks/isi Archiv; Mug/Alberto Bogo, unsplash.com
Translation: Steven Pitock