OAT-BASED DRINKS AND FOODS THAT HELP PEOPLE SWAP DAIRY FOR OATS

USPA NEWS - In France, Plant-Based Drinks are booming, and Oats are the Fastest-Growing. However, some Misconceptions can still hinder their Adoption. To Challenge these Prejudices, Oatly, a Pioneer and Leader in Oat-Based Drinks for 30 Years, has chosen to focus on Taste...

In France, Plant-Based Drinks are booming, and Oats are the Fastest-Growing. However, some Misconceptions can still hinder their Adoption. To Challenge these Prejudices, Oatly, a Pioneer and Leader in Oat-Based Drinks for 30 Years, has chosen to focus on Taste. How? By conducting a Blind Taste Test with a panel of 400 Coffee Lovers. The Result: 51% of French People prefer Oatly to Cow's Milk in their Coffee. This Figure forms the Basis of the Brand's New Campaign, called "Blind Taste," which invites us to question our Assumptions about Taste.

Oats are booming in France, but the Potential remains lmmense:

- ln the already Dynamic Plant-Based Beverage Market (+12% in value**), Oats are breaking All Records and are now the Fastest-Growing Cereal in France (+30% in Value and +32% in Volume YTD*).

- Two Years after its Arrival in France, Oatly has already established itself as One of the Main Players in this Category. It contributes to 20% of the Growth in the Plant-Based Beverage Market! Today, 1 in 4 French People consume Plant-Based Drinks; but there is still a Large Market to convince. Some Misconceptions die Hard: "Will it really be Creamy?", "It's not Real Milk", "It will ruin my Coffee"...

- Faced with this Situation, Oatly is betting everything on the Taste Experience to encourage the French to incorporate Plant-Based Drinks into their Daily Lives. Its Best Asset? Oatly Barista, the Very First Plant-Based Barista Drink and the Brand's Best-Seller. With its Creamy Texture and Perfect Foam, it's a Naturally Fiber-Rich Alternative (the ind we all lack!), Low in Saturated Fat and with No Added Sugar, appealing because of its 52% reduced Climate lmpact compared to French Cow's Milk... but above all, because of its Taste.

- To prove that Taste makes All the Difference, Oatly commissioned an lndependent lnstitute to conduct a Blind Taste Test with 400 Coffee Lovers. The ldea was to show that a Simple Taste test can change Consumers' Minds. And the Results speak for Themselves:
* In the Blind Test, 51% of Participants preferred Oatly Barista to Cow's Milk in their Coffee.
* Even those who exclusively drink Cow's Milk are beginning to reconsider their Choices: Nearly Half (48%) of them say they want to incorporate Oats into their Daily Routine after the Test.
* Among Consumers already Fans of Plant-Based Drinks, the Figure climbs to 57%.

A Striking Demonstration of how our Tastes can be influenced by our Habits, our Biases, or simply... Labels.

"From a Purely Natural/Physiological Need at the Beginning, our Diet has gradually become a Cultural Phenomenon, First with the Emergence of cooking around 1 Million Years Ago, and then, much more recently, with lndustrialization. The Plethora of Food Options available Today leads us to make Choices influenced not only by our Personal Tastes but also by Potential Cognitive Biases. While we cannot change our Physiology, we can, however, evolve our Habits, particularly to reduce our Environmental lmpact, without diminishing Pleasure... and Oat Milk could very well be Part of the Equation!"
- Christophe Lavelle
Researcher at the CNRS and the National Museum of Natural History, Specialist in Food

- A 360° Communication Campaign that puts Taste Back at the Center
To deliver this Unfiltered Message, Oatly is launching its "Blind Taste" Campaign Nationwide on November 3rd.
For the Occasion, the Brand is going all out and deploying a 360° Strategy:
* Event Advertising in the Paris Metro and an Additional 350 Billboards in Paris
* Partnership with Content Creators who will take Ownership of the Campaign Concept
* Digital Media Plan to reach all French Coffee Lovers
* Mini-Tastings in Supermarkets and Sampling in the Streets of Paris
* And a Unique Collaboration with Morning, the Coworking Company, which will adopt the Campaign's Colors and offer Coffees with Oatly in its Thirty or so Spaces equipped with Coffee Shops.
* According to a Blind Taste test, 51% prefer Oatly to Cow's Milk in their Coffee.

- About Oatly
Oatly is the World's First and Largest Oat-Based Beverage Company. For 30 Years, it has been entirely dedicated to this Grain, renowned for its ldeal Sustainability and Health Properties. Oatly's Passion for Oats has led to Major Technological Advancements, enabling the Company to develop a Whole Range of Products, including Milk Alternatives, lce Cream, Yogurt, Cooking Creams, Spreads, and On-The-Go Drinks. Based in Malmö, Sweden, Oatly operates in more than 50 Countries Worldwide. Oatly established ltself in France Two Years Ago and has nearly Twenty Employees.

- Oatly spotlights the Emerging Taste Trends reshaping Beverages in 2026 and Beyond (Source Oatly): "The Future of Taste Report".
Combining the lnterviews of Hundreds of Baristas and Drinks Experts from Across 23 Countries, with Quantitative Trends Data compiled by Researchers, CultureLab, the Report identifies Five Key Trends expected on Menus and Coffee Spots in the Coming Months.

* The Global Flavor Exchange: Expect more Flavors, Rituals and Traditions from across Asia to travel Around the World and Back Again.
* Conscious Indulgence: This Next Wave of Drinks is all about Balance. With Daily Google lmpressions for Decaf having grown 90x in 2025 [CultureLab Navigate Data 2024-2025] the Popularity of Decaf and Low Sugar is ready to surge in 2026.
* Fiber is coming for Protein’s Crown: After First emerging on TikTok in Autumn 2024, Fibermaxxing (or fibERmaxxing) suddenly spiked this Summer, sending the World’s Media into a Chia-lnduced Frenzy.
* Destination Drinks: Creative Concoctions invented and sold Exclusively by a Particular Cafe - are booming in Popularity as Globalization creates a Landscape where the Same Menus appear in Every City.
* The Future of Matcha: While the Jury is still out on whether we’ve reached the Summit of Mount Matcha, there is Emerging Consensus that it’s got what it takes for more Staying Power.

Source:
Presentaton of The "Blind Taste Test" with a Panel of 400 Coffee Lovers. The Result: 51% of French People prefer Oatly to Cow's Milk in their Coffee.
@ Oatly Office in Paris, on November 05, 2025
With the Presence of:
* Julie DUVAL - CEO of Oatly France
* Christophe LAVELLE - Researcher at the CNRS and the National Museum of Natural History, specialist in food
* Masterclass with Anthony CALVEZ - Triple Champion of Latte Art

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