What’s Going On Here?
Bristol is set to become the home of a new vegan milk delivery service. Yes, that’s right, that perfectly smooth, creamy beverage delivered right to your door.
What Does This Mean?
Milk experts Elspeth and Joe Edwards from New Milk are serving up frothy oat milk and creamy coconut milk to the city’s “non-dairy drinkers”, as an alternative to their ‘cow-heavy’ equivalent.After throwing away more than 100 Tetra Paks of their favourite brand of oat milk, the pair decided to opt for a more sustainable way forward. After some experimenting, Elspeth arrived at a non-dairy milk that wasn’t only super tasty but gluten and pesticide free.
The milk will be delivered in traditional glass bottles in an attempt to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the city. The business will start by stocking independent cafes before going on to supply individuals by bicycle.
Why Should We Care?
According to a study by the University of Oxford, on average, producing a glass of dairy milk results in almost three times the greenhouse gas emissions of any non-dairy milk.
Non-dairy milk is soaring in popularity with UK consumers, with research from tea giants Clipper Tea showing that 25% of tea-loving Brits now opt for a non-dairy milk alternative in their daily cuppa. The same research showed that 77% of those asked felt better about themselves for making this small pro-environmental change.
This, coupled with the key health motivators for choosing non-dairy milk, such as dairy being linked to a higher risk of developing diabetes and certain types of cancer, means that people are putting their health and the planet first.
Be Curious!
Dairy-free milk is nothing new. And in fact, delivering milk in reusable glass bottles via bike isn’t exactly modern. But nevertheless, the thought of enjoying our next morning brew with the pair’s homemade creamy oat milk, delivered by a friendly cyclist, leaves us feeling full of nostalgia.
Keep up to date with the latest from New Milk on Instagram @thenewmilk
Plant milks are no longer fringe. With an ever growing number of dairy-free options out there, why not dive in and get drinking! Use the BBC’s handy milk chart to see how your favourite compares to the rest.
