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 have a dairy and egg intolerance and vegetarian so now basically vegan (still have honey) so grateful for all the vegan options now out there. It is more expensive so fine for latte and hot choc, but 45p for a splash of milk in tea is too steep to reflect costs I agree

I don't understand what you don't understand. The difference in price between 300ml (or however much goes into the average hot milk drink) of barista-standard oat milk and dairy milk is probably more than 45p. Which is why they don't charge 20p for it.

@user1473878824

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

There is no need to be sarcastic I am asking a genuine question. If you have a problem ignore this thread

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

Have you ever tried to milk an oat?

@sirfredfredgeorge

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

Have you ever tried to milk an oat?

No and I know the same applies to a coconut.

@Rizzoli123

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

Because

1. It costs more in the first places

2, there will be more waste as fewer people use it but you have to open big cartons 3 the business want to make a profit

Hope that helps

In the cafe I work in we offer Oat Milk for no extra charge if asked but unfortunately it's very rare so quite often we will open a carton for one drink and it won't be used again and the rest of the carton has to be chucked down the drain after a few days. I would presume if you are paying extra then the expected wastage will have been factored into the additional cost.

Because that is the actual increased cost of the oat milk compartment to milk

Radio 4's Inside Health was interesting this week - bit on how plant based milks are made.

As to your issue - make at home and take with you? I no longer buy coffee out now I can make a great latte with 100% high quality arabica beans, for a tenth of what it costs to buy in a coffee shop. Clearly why they are so prevalent these days.

I buy a black coffee and take my own oat milk a lot of the time

Where I work, we charge for oat and coconut when it’s used for making the drinks. If it’s in a jug as a side for tea or an Americano then there’s no extra cost.

Am I missing something here? You don't understand why milk which is more expensive to produce and more expensive wholesale is more expensive for you?

It's more expensive because it's MORE EXPENSIVE

It's a bit like when you go to a butcher and beef costs more than chicken. Beef is a more expensive product therefore costs more.

Plant based "milk" costs more than cow milk, therefore your drink costs more and that is passed in to you the consumer.

The poster with the tuna wasn't sarcastic, they were right.

“why 45p why not 20p?”

Because it probably costs them like 40p to make a coffee that they then sell for £4. It’s a business. They make profit. They add these profit margins to milks too.

Why is it when I go out and have... oat milk or coconut milk there is an added fee. I know it costs more to produce
I mean, what else is there to add?

I'd be willing to bet they don't pass on the full cost of difference in the 45p, but the retailer will also consider that if they did the coffee would be so expensive the plant milk wouldn't be bought at all. They also know that plant milk is popular enough that they can take some profit hit to ensure a return or that the plant milk drinker will also buy a plant based cake/savoury as well.

I am also interested in why something like oat milk which is essentially a type of water, is so much more expensive than something that has to be squeezed out of a live animal, but I fully admit I know very little about milk production in general

The coffee shop is not producing the raw ingredients, they are providing a product using those ingredients as demanded by consumers.

The producer of oat milk is following market forces when pricing its own product based on materials, cost of production and the knowledge these types of milk are popular with a certain consumer.

The dairy farmer, who I think we can all agree is being ripped of royally, is charging what the market will pay for their product.

How can you understand the mark up on everything you buy from a shop but not the plant based milks?

Carry some around in a little pot.

I’m allergic to dairy so I choose soya milk (free) for my takeaway latte. Coconut, oat one and oat alternatives cost more and aren’t as in demand as cow milk. Starbucks, Costa and Cafe Nero can afford these dairy alternative milks so they shouldn’t charge 45p extra!!

Oops I mean coconut, oat and almond (I’m not sure what happened there!)

You can make your own oat milk you know. It's piss easy. Literally oats and water.

minimalistbaker.com/make-oat-milk/

Economics is taking a proper kicking this afternoon.

Oatly's revenue was $146 million in Q2 this year compared to the same period last year.

There's a lot of profit in exploiting the fashion for veganism

Because it’s ultra processed crap, they less people drink and therefore is a higher cost to produce as you need all the processing and additives and chemicals.