Added costs for plant milks

[Rizzoli123]

Why is it when I go out and have a hot chocolate and have oat milk or coconut milk there is an added fee. I know it costs more to produce but if I brought a normal coffee which was say 5.00 a week. This is with normal milk. For one made from coconut milk it would add and extra 2.25 in to the bill,.

Why is it that people say that lots of people are embracing vegansim and making changes to their diet to include more plant based foods.

I know their is a cost as less people drink it but why so high

Am. I being unreasonable to ask for the same consideration as soya milk which is free in many places.

(I don't like soya milk)
(I have the milk sachets to take for tea but can't use them for hot chocolate)

I work in hospitality and we charge 50p extra for oat milk. It's purely because oat milk costs a lot more than cow's milk. It's that simple

Are you talking in cost in general or just in coffee shops? Because of course something more expensive is going to have extra charge.
Soy has been around for sooo long it has become a norm.
Also, it is much more popular so you don't end up with wasteg. However, how many people order coconut alternative? Considerably fewer, so it needs to cover the waste too

I understand that I just don't understand why the charge is so high.

Simply because it is much more expensive to buy.

Just had a look at the price of milk on my grocery app

Barista oat milk £1.90 per litre

Semi skimmed milk £0.47 per litre

I personally buy my milk at an independent who don't charge extra for oat but they charge for for syrup than chains like Costa

2 pints of semi skimmed cows’ milk costs 89p in my supermarket. 1litre (slightly less than 2 pints) of oat milk costs £1.50.

Of course it will be more expensive for a café to make you a hot chocolate using oat milk.

I think partly the cost of the product (the alternative milk is way more expensive!) but also the procedure - e.g having to invest in more equipment so they don't use the same milk jugs / higher wastage (e.g most people order regular milk so if only one or two gets an alternative the rest will end up wasted), they will likely get a discount on bulk buying regular milk but not for alternatives.

@MrsTulipTattsyrup

2 pints of semi skimmed cows’ milk costs 89p in my supermarket. 1litre (slightly less than 2 pints) of oat milk costs £1.50.

Of course it will be more expensive for a café to make you a hot chocolate using oat milk.

I know this as people will drink the milk quicker then the oat or coconut milk but why 45p why not 20p?

You pay it, right?

There's your answer! They can charge more than the additional cost so, totally legitimately they do.

It’s the cost of the product. Which is totally justified in hot chocolate or latte or cappuccino, less so to add a splash to an Americano

If nobody ordered oat milk then they'd stop offering it. People are willing to pay so they will charge it

The situation has changed so much in the past 5 years - I have a dairy intolerance and I am grateful when I see oat widely as an alternative now and don’t begrudge the extra cost. Oat Barista style is so much more expensive than dairy milk or packs of ordinary soya, or the cheaper oat or almond. It’s preferable to soya because it doesn’t split when added to hot drinks.

@Rizzoli123

I understand that I just don't understand why the charge is so high.

Do you not know that the price the consumer pays for cow milk is barely enough for farmers to produce it?

Surely if you’re an effical-type you’d be happy to be paying a fair price for a product and not wanting an undercut rate?

Using your logic why isn't my Americano cheaper when I say no thank you to milk and sugar?

@JellyfishandShells

The situation has changed so much in the past 5 years - I have a dairy intolerance and I am grateful when I see oat widely as an alternative now and don’t begrudge the extra cost. Oat Barista style is so much more expensive than dairy milk or packs of ordinary soya, or the cheaper oat or almond. It’s preferable to soya because it doesn’t split when added to hot drinks.

There are 2 soy ones too. One is barista, it's much easier to work with

If this is a chain coffee shop then they will be following the prices of other chains.

Coffee shops can be one of those places where if you're charged too little then people assume it's inferior.

Cafes have had a really hard 18months. Profit margins aren’t great and non dairy milk is much more expensive than cow’s milk.

I know about how much a farmer gets paid for a pint of milk and it isn't good enough. I am happy paying a price and don't want to undercut anyone I'm just curious as to why 45p.

@Wazzzzzzzup That interesting - I didn’t know that about a barista style soya ! Maybe because I don’t look at soya milks anymore because I now prefer the taste of oat milk, finding soya a bit cardboardy, much like I did when I had first had to find alternatives. Good to know, though, thank you

Because it's £1.49 for 6 pints of semi skimmed milk and £1.49 1 litre of milk substitute so 3x the price. That's at consumer prices, it might be a bigger difference if they can buy milk cheaper but not substitutes and also customers like a choice of substitutes so bulk buying might not be possible

@JellyfishandShells no problem. 😁 They came uout few years ago properly. I have to admit i don't like taste of any of these🙈
All is still better than camel milk though!😂

Because it's an easy way for them to make a bit of extra money. The vast, vast majority of decisions made by businesses are motivated by money.

If people refused to pay 45p for milk, they'd either lower their prices or stop offering it, but while people are paying for it, they'll keep charging the prices that they do.

It costs much more to buy in, therefore they have to charge the difference and still make a small profit.

It’s so frustrating my line caught tuna steak is more expensive than a tin of tuna. Why?!

You said yourself it costs more, why are you surprised they charge more? Having to store and prepare multiple products takes space and time, it’s not just about the cost price of the ingredients