The Italian dairy company “Koita Foods”, based in Dubai, has added vegan milk alternatives to its range. The company wants to enter the milk-free market with almond, oat, soy and rice milk.
Founder Mustafa Koita says the addition of vegan milk substitutes is the result of increased demand. In a recent press release on the introduction of the new range, he said, “Everyone’s nutritional requirements are different and we do not believe in a black and white solution when it comes to milk. Additionally, we are oriented towards consumers and not farmers.”
Although the company is based in Dubai, they want to continue to use mostly Italian raw materials. Italian oats, Italian almonds and even Italian rice often find their way into dairy-free products.
Since the beginning of this month, consumers have been able to enjoy Koita products made from almonds and oats in over 500 F&B locations throughout the United Arab Emirates, including schools, hotels, high-end restaurants and hospitals. Retailers such as Spinneys, Carrefour and Waitrose also sell the milk alternatives. Rice and soy milk will follow in August, with the latter being released in two variants – a standard variant and a “barista” variant, which is particularly easy to froth up and is intended to be used in speciality coffees.
Although at first glance it seems to be counter-productive to invest in a competing market, other dairy producers are already taking the same approach. The increase in demand for milk alternatives is due partly to the growing demand for milk in Eurasian countries and partly to the growing number of consumers using vegan milk. With the decline in demand for conventional milk, dairy farmers are increasingly seeing their livelihoods threatened.
