In 2022, in addition to finding ways to unlock the innovative ability of explosive products, major tea brands continue to promote the boiling of ready-made tea in the new consumer market, and constantly refresh people's taste buds expectations and satisfaction of new tea. From the "fancy top cover" to the "niche fruit tea" to the "small material inner roll", or the "versatile tea base", the new tea drink born from the traditional tea culture is accelerating the opening of a new era of "everything can enter the tea", while Chinese tea is embracing a variety of possibilities with an open attitude, handing in hand with a variety of unexpected flavor experience circle fan young people.
Just recently, Xiaohongshu, Weibo, Douyin and other mainstream social platforms have emerged a lot of popular new products associated with "healthy and refreshing", represented by camellia flavored milk tea, which is frequently mentioned, and the fragrance of flowers is permeated with elegant tea, many camellia flowers in the tea drinking circle of various fresh combinations, oat milk brand OATLY is a special surprise existence. Maybe this will make people wonder, what is the relationship between a plant-based brand of oats and Chinese tea?
Photo: OATLY Tea Master OATLY ©
At the end of March this year, OATLY cooperated with Shuyi Roasted Immortal Grass to launch a unique plant-based new tea drink - "Orange Man Camellia", only 10 days after the listing, the sales of a single product surprisingly exceeded 1 million cups of good results, from the Western-style "coffee companion" to the Chinese "tea companion" operation, obviously let the strong plasticity and versatility of oat milk once again seen by the market, but also broke the fixed impression of oat milk as the "standard" of the coffee circle in the Chinese market. David Zhang, President of OATLY Asia, does not seem to be surprised by such a good result, which is also a new stage in the application of OATLY oat milk in categories and scenarios.
Photo: Orange Camellia ©OATLY
This time, in the observation of fat whale "Chinese tea has a new taste", the collision of emerging plant-based drinks represented by OATLY oat milk and traditional Chinese tea, for the new tea track that needs to maintain high frequency and constantly stimulate people's consumption desire, can the new upstart plant-based oat milk that has just entered the "tea base circle" stand firmly at the head of the new tea drinking tide? What attempts will OATLY make horizontally while deeply cultivating vertically...?
Fat Whale will have an in-depth dialogue with David Zhang, President of OATLY Asia through different dimensions, excavating the cognition of "oat milk + Chinese tea" not only staying at the taste bud level, but also the commercial changes behind it and the more imaginative space for oat milk in the tea drinking track in the future, and looking at the hot trend of plant-based new tea drinking, how to keep up with the changes of the times with an evolutionary attitude.
From health to taste bud upgrading, "oat milk + Chinese tea" has more possibilities
People who love coffee are familiar with the combination of milk and coffee, and the classic CP of coffee and milk has always been an indispensable drinking method for "coffee control". As the popularity of plant-based drinks rises, oat milk, which emphasizes the concepts of 0 sucrose, 0 lactose, 0 trans fat, etc., has quickly transformed the second-generation plant-based drink oat milk from a niche hobby into another mainstream choice with coffee, and OATLY is one of the representative brands.
Pictured: OATLY Coffee Master ©OATLY
In fact, in 2018, OATLY just entered the Chinese market, when the concept of plant-based drinks in the Chinese market still stayed on peanut milk, almond dew and other products, and the field of oat milk can be described as completely blank. But this instead gives OATLY the opportunity to show its fists, with specialty coffee shops and chain coffee shops as the entry point, thus driving the consumption of oat milk in the entire coffee market.
David Zhang shared: "The strategy of binding coffee shops has allowed OATLY to enter tens of thousands of coffee shops in China in just 3 years, and we have worked closely with the head coffee chain and specialty coffee brands. "OATLY oat milk has emerged in the coffee industry at this point, and has also strengthened and determined its consumption scenarios in the coffee category.
Pictured: OATLY Coffee Master ©OATLY
However, in China, more people drink coffee and more people drink tea.
Chinese one of the seven things to open the door is tea, the importance of tea drinking for Chinese is self-evident, whether it is traditional original leaf tea or freshly made new tea, Chinese yearning for tea has almost penetrated into all aspects of people's lives, through the Chinese team's in-depth excavation and research of the local market, giving OATLY a new thinking direction and development space - into the circle of new tea drinking field.
"Just last year, many tea customers also threw olive branches at us." David Zhang said: "Since 2021, the company began to pay more attention to the tea market, increase market research and research efforts, and successively carry out cooperation with new tea brands, among which Heshu Yiyan Immortal Herb has reached a consistent height in the plant-based concept, and the two sides have cooperated to launch a new product 'Orange Camellia', which has sold 1 million cups in only 10 days after listing, which can be confidently said that this is also within our expectations." After all, the healthy concept and healthy lifestyle of these innovative products themselves are needed by contemporary consumers, and products with added value have a broader market, in addition to looking at products but also looking at concepts. ”
Pictured: OATLY tea drink oat milk ©OATLY customized for shuyi roast fairy grass
Compared with the tea brands that OATLY has cooperated with earlier, the new product "Orange Man Camellia" launched by OATLY Oat Milk and Shuyi Roasted Immortal Herb is completely integrated into the whole cup of drinks in the form of a tea base. When the aroma of camellia flowers and the bitterness of the tea soup that swept the market, after fusing the refreshing and calm oat milk, the flowers, tea, fruits, oat milk, and finally the four ingredients were mixed and precipitated, just like the "harmonious string quartet".
Interestingly, however, oat milk is very versatile, but the OATLY China team still wants to be more compatible with "tea" oat milk.
Looking back at the development process of OATLY in the Chinese market, it is not difficult to find that OATLY has launched many new related products to the Chinese market around the consumer demands of coffee, and has also launched options for Customized Services in China. The oat milk used in "Orange Camellia" in which OATLY cooperated with Shuye Yakyo Immortal Grass is oat milk that OATLY specially customized for Shuyai Yakyaki Fairy Grass that is more suitable for tea. Compared with the advantages of the existing oat milk direct drink product itself, under the premise of meeting the advantages of health attributes, OATLY oat milk specially created for China's new tea is simply the "soul mate" of Chinese tea.
From the technical level of the product, the OATLY TEA-MASTER team introduced in detail: "The 'compatibility' of oat-based is actually far better than we thought. OATLY has spent many years to improve the liquid oat base, so that it can become the basis for a variety of product innovation, and OATLY's unique enzymatic digestion technology can properly retain the soluble dietary fiber β-dextran in oats, which also plays a positive role in nutrition and taste, whether it is making oat milk caps or making tea base, OATLY oat milk can create more flavor when paired with different diets.
For example, if the oat snow top is different from everyone's perception of the high sugar and high calorie of the traditional cheese milk cover, the taste is lighter, lighter, less sweet, with a natural oat aroma than the traditional cheese milk cap; The tea drinking master oat milk, is a subversive innovation of the new tea drinking milk base, far more than the traditional milk tea brewed with fat powder to meet people's health and light burden needs, and fully consider the release and balance of the overall flavor in the mixed tea drinking process, the difference in taste and the stability of the production, after more than 1,000 cups of different types of oat milk tea review and testing, finally available, can be widely matched with all kinds of Chinese original leaf tea soup, such as the thickness of black tea, the fragrance of green tea, the charm of oolong, but also highlight the nature of white tea, The softness of yellow tea and the old aroma of black tea not only do not hide the aroma of tea, but also make oat milk tea drink particularly layered, confirming its versatile characteristics."
Unlike the thick milk aroma and sticky taste of milk tea that easily obscure the aroma of the new tea itself, OATLY tea master oat milk mixed with tea, the front tone is gentle and does not preempt the head fragrance of tea and fresh fruits, especially suitable for strong aroma and sweet fruits, such as bananas, pineapples, mangoes, sweet oranges, peaches, strawberries, etc., the heart is smooth and soft, the tail note oat aroma is slowly emitted, and then with a pleasant nut oat aroma lingering in the mouth, Presumably, this is also the key to why OATLY needs to launch a customized version of tea master oat milk. Many diners who have drunk it have also left a message on the takeaway platform to share: "The whole cup of milk tea not only has the aroma of tea but also the unique floral fragrance of camellia flowers, which is refreshing and transparent enough to be very suitable for drinking in the hot summer." ”
Photo: OATLY Tea Master OATLY ©
David Zhang also emphasized, "OATLY products pay great attention to natural and restore the taste of the plant itself, and tea is also a complete release of the taste of the plant, so OATLY spent a lot of effort to explore, the customized version of OATLY oat milk and Chinese tea collision combination, the core is to give full play to the natural elements of the plant itself, arouse people's deep yearning for nature." In the future, OATLY will also carry the multiple pursuits of health, environmental protection, appearance and natural concepts, so that products can not only land in the coffee field, but also better land in tea or other fields to meet the diversified needs of consumers. ”
It can be said that the emergence of OATLY tea master oat milk has also enabled OATLY oat milk to achieve a breakthrough from "coffee milk base" to "tea milk base", and deeply penetrate into the new tea field.
Boldly advancing into the new tea drinking track is "time and place and people"
Looking at the scale of the domestic new tea market, although after 6 years of wild running, there is still a huge incremental space. However, behind the prosperity of new tea drinks is also accompanied by increasingly fierce market competition, in the face of hundreds of new tea brands on the track, why did OATLY choose to enter the game in the hot competition stage in front of it?
In addition to using oat milk products to tap more opportunities and actively solve the product pain points of "fresh fruit + milk base" flavor in tea drinks that are difficult to integrate with tea soup, what other factors drive it to open up a cooperation path in the new tea drinking track? Perhaps, now is the best time for OATLY to collide with the tea track.
Photo: OATLY Tea Master OATLY ©
There is an old Chinese saying that is good: the time and place are favorable to people. Oat milk and new tea, seemingly unrelated two beverage tracks, in fact, are reflecting the consumption trend of the times under the representative products, when the sustainable healthy lifestyle and the traditional tea beverage industry upgrade under the cultural new system, based on the vast days of the new tea market when the intersection friction, can effectively reshape themselves, amplify the value, OATLY wants to catch the new tea "hitchhiker", just know that "the car is coming" is far from enough, but also know how to grasp the time and place of vehicle arrival, And buy the right ticket in the right way to get on the bus.
From the perspective of OATLY taking "sustainable development" as the foundation of the brand belief, David Zhang feels that "new tea drinks have great opportunities in the Chinese market, the new tea drink track has been constantly updating and expanding, and with the successful strategic experience in the coffee beverage category in the early stage, we are more confident to take a different path in the tea drink track." If the entry of OATLY can bring some new surprise flavors to the new tea market, bring a healthy lifestyle to more people through new tea drinks, and practice sustainable development with practical actions and products, it will naturally make the brand itself go further and better and win in the future."
Secondly, it is based on the geographical benefits brought about by the consumption trend of the new tea market. At present, affected by new groups, new categories, new channels, new marketing, the new era of new tea is being hotly sought after and favored by young people, but also put forward higher quality requirements for the development of tea, product raw materials have long abandoned the low-cost creamer tea powder and artificial condiments, backed by a deep foundation of traditional tea culture, around the background of a variety of Chinese original leaf tea, so that drinking milk tea no longer has a "sense of guilt", and burst into one of the social currencies that young people are keen on, in following the "milk base + Chinese tea + seasonal fruits" Under the combination formula, it gives consumers more diversified choices, while also cutting the trend of sugar reduction and healthy tea consumption. As a healthy and light-burden high-quality diet, OATLY oat milk can not only solve the "milk tea" needs of some lactose intolerant users, but also a symbol of a healthy lifestyle, which can provide more choices for consumers who love this lifestyle.
As the trend of healthy living intensifies, the trend of oat milk also shows the popularity of plant-based foods. In David Zhang's view, OATLY has been doing oat products abroad for nearly 30 years, under the application of mature enzymatic technology, OATLY oat milk and the healthy consumption trend currently advocated by China's new tea drinks can be described as highly compatible, and we also see that Chinese consumers' love for tea culture and the lifestyle it represents is reflected in the demand for tea, and Chinese consumers are paying more and more attention to' The matter of health is the trend of the times and economic development, and naturally gives OATLY the opportunity to cooperate with new tea drinks."
Photo: OATLY Tea Master OATLY ©
Finally, in addition to the natural popular environment given by the environment, the success of all brands cannot be separated from the principle of "product is king".
In the new tea market, countless young consumers' love for oat milk drinks themselves is crucial. After 4 years of deep cultivation in the Chinese market, OATLY has established a certain goodwill and recognition in the hearts of consumers and the beverage circle, and the unique health and environmental protection attributes of oat milk, unique flavor and taste, and friendliness for lactose intolerant people have accurately catered to the core elements of the public's pursuit of plant-based drinks.
"It wasn't because plant-based drinks were on fire in China that OATLY went to the new tea track." David Zhang has repeatedly stated that "behind the product is OATLY's response to the most essential needs of consumers." In China, coffee and tea are people's daily high-frequency intake of just needs, so when we found this demand, we naturally decided to take another step from coffee to tea. On the one hand, we want to better serve consumers and tea partners, on the other hand, we have specially developed and created oat milk that is more suitable for tea, the purpose is to perfectly blend the flavor of Chinese tea, as for the future, it has been based on consumer needs, as well as in the situation and the right time to meet their own research and development capabilities and launch the next new product. ”
Obviously, OATLY, which is the starting point around the product itself, is not completely conceived in the framework of commercialization and then decides to break the circle with tea, more to take the consumer life proposition as a breakthrough point, after finding the balance between business and products, with enough confidence and confidence to step into the wave of new tea, and bring some innovative ideas, try to do everything possible to meet consumer demand for healthy new tea, but also to create more premium value for the brand.
Photo: OATLY Tea Master OATLY ©
Entering the countryside or following the customs, OATLY and Chinese tea have set off a new trend of "plant-based tea drinking"
Looking back at the evolution of new tea drinks from brewing to fresh tea, there is no doubt that new tea drinks are the whole new format of China's traditional tea consumption market. But no matter how "young, trendy, and subversive" new tea drinks are, in essence, they are inseparable from the connotation and philosophy of Chinese tea culture, so are local tea brands, OATLY is no exception, but the focus is different.
Overseas brands entering the Chinese market, it is indispensable to "follow the customs", enter a new market or a new track, understand, respect, and integrate into the cultural characteristics of this market is essential, from the rhythm and results of OATLY entering the tea track, it does allow more young consumers to enjoy the charm of oat milk drink nutrition and health at the same time, but also fully complement the plant power of new tea drinks.
Regarding OATLY's progress towards China's new tea drinking track, David Zhang mentioned OATLY's two major focuses on the localization strategy promotion - focusing on products and young positioning. "Strictly speaking, OATLY is a company that makes products, will not deliberately and excessively spend time on brand marketing, but will pay more attention to the consumption habits, demands and hobbies of Chinese local consumers, from understanding the needs of young consumers, to getting close to the habits of young consumers, to meeting the needs of young consumers, OATLY combines the product strength and research and development foundation precipitated by Northern Europe for many years, and constantly launches products suitable for Chinese consumer scenarios and consumer needs, which is the top priority."
Pictured: OATLY Coffee Master OATLY ©
At present, OATLY has created an Asian factory, Asia-Pacific innovation and research and development center, for the different needs of Chinese partners and consumers, can be customized product development, for the book also burned fairy grass research and development of custom oat milk is to inherit the Nordic leading oat milk research and development strength, China's local R & D team and then according to local conditions according to local market demand to make innovative adjustments.
In addition, David Zhang believes: "The gene of the OATLY brand itself is the same as its appearance 'fashion, tide, cool, dazzling', deeply loved and respected by young people, no matter which track the OATLY brand will enter in the future, but the young and trendy, sustainable brand image will not change, OATLY is OATLY, not only in our unique way in front of consumers, but also fit in with any track we go to, whether it is coffee, is tea, Or more industries. ”
Pictured: OATLY Coffee Master OATLY ©
Nowadays, the market pattern of new tea drinks has gradually become clear, and the status of head brand players is clear. Wanting to get a slot, OATLY used another way to get involved in the new tea segment. From coffee breaking to tea breaking the circle, OATLY, an oat milk brand from Sweden, has made a bold layout in the vast and boundless Chinese new tea consumption market, successfully setting off a wave of consumption of plant-based drinks, fully validating the truth that "all business is worth redoing" - for the beverage industry, consumers are still more willing to pay for their taste and quality.
To this end, OATLY returns new tea drinks to their natural attributes, so that plant-based drinks can better reach contemporary young consumers, and gradually establish consumers' awareness of healthy tea drinks; At the spiritual and cultural level, OATLY works together with local leading new tea brands to exert its own advantages, explore the taste appeal of Chinese tea and Chinese in different stages, and further open a new era of oat milk and new tea drinking.
Pictured: OATLY Coffee Master OATLY ©
Oat milk, representing the trend of contemporary health and wellness, meets the ancient Chinese functional drink "tea", which together catalyzes a healthier dietary choice and lifestyle, which OATLY wants to pass on through a healthy Chinese tea culture.
In 2021, OATLY was successfully listed and was called "the first stock listed on the NASDAQ of Oat Milk". OATLY is being recognized by more consumers, plant-based is becoming a more normalized drinking choice, at the same time, in the first echelon of the oat milk field, OATLY is very aware of the impact of any action made after that in the industry and the market, the oat milk with traffic, with fashion of new tea drink cooperation, is not only to seize the opportunity, but also to tell a more beautiful story than "instead of milk".