Milk has been a staple food for centuries now, and milk-based products find their way into our diets every day even now - be it in the form of butter or ghee, or cheese or paneer.
A popular belief is that milk makes our bones stronger, and it is a complete food in itself. According to IMARC group, the dairy market in India is valued at Rs 13,174 billion in 2021, and is expected to reach Rs 30,840 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 14.98 percent.
However, with changing diet patterns worldwide, and with veganism catching up, it is clear that people have started to latch on to the more obscure aspects of dairy, such as cruelty towards cows, environmental concerns, and health problems. As a result, plant-based milk has soared in popularity, with a wide variety of types and flavours to choose from. It is no longer a gourmet indulgence, but rather a staple in the modern day diet.
With demand for plant-based milk on the rise, we list out a few startups that are offering a variety of milk alternatives to keep customers healthy and satisfied.
Alt Co.
Founded by Rithwik Ramesh, Rohit Kalro, and Sumair Sachdev in 2020, Bengaluru-based Alt Co. is a plant-based alternative startup offering oat milk in the original flavour. The formation of the products is done by an in-house team with the help of external consultations.
The products are available across 15 platforms, including Flipkart, Amazon, Blink it, its own website, Vegan Dukaan and others. They also have an offline presence in physical stores located across India, including Le Marche, Modern Bazaar, Simpli Namdharis, Nature’s Basket, and others.
The startup claims cafes such as Blue Tokai, KC Roasters, Café Bi Di Bella, Thirdwave Coffee Roasters, and others have adopted it readily.
"Our vision was plain and simple - to create a homegrown brand that was better for the people consuming our product and for the planet. The health and environmental benefits of plant-based products far outweigh those of its traditional counterparts. It’s amazing that we can already see a shift in consumer patterns. Oat milk, which is our debut product, is extremely nutritious and uses far less water than animal-based products," says Sumair.
GoodMylk
Founded by mother-son duo Veena S and Abhay Rengan in 2016, Bengaluru-based foodtech startup offers plant-based milk from oats and cashew, vegan mayo, butter, peanut dahi, mayo, chocolate, cheese, and paneer.
The startup aims to make plant-based dairy products accessible across India. The products are available on BigBasket and its own websites.
We aim to help increase food security, and help everyone access more sustainable and ethical products that are good for all," says Abhay.
In September 2021, GoodMylk raised $1 million in a seed round extension from angel investors to expand its product portfolio and distribution for more availability across India.
SAIN
Founded in 2018 by Sheena Jain and Tarun Jain, this Delhi-based vegan startup makes dairy-free almond-milk in various flavours such as cacao, vanilla, cardamom, and many others. The startup aims to provide preservatives, emulsifiers, chemicals, and dairy-free almond milk to people’s breakfast tables on an everyday basis.
The products are available on SAIN’s own website, and buyers can subscribe to a monthly plan or purchase bottles individually. They only deliver in Delhi and Gurugram, but are planning to expand their distribution.
MilkinOats
Founded by Ashna Goel and Vishwesh J. Nair in 2020, Delhi-headquartered plant-based dairy startup MilkinOats offers dairy-free oat milk products and chocolates. It has also recently launched its beauty products by introducing skin care products.
The products are available on the giant ecommerce channel Amazon, their own website, some supermarkets and stand-alone stores.
MilkinOats aims to shift animal product habits to sustainable plant-based food and beverages by providing nutritious, high-value products to create a better future.
Jus Amazin
Founded in 2017 by Jatin Munjal and Shilpa Mogilishetty, Bengaluru-based startup Jus Amazin provides dairy, soy, and gluten-free plant-based foods that are natural and cater to the nutritional needs of people across ages.
Its offerings include almond butter, almond milk, condensed almond milk, nut and seed butter, and peanut-flax chutney. The startup claims its products are rich in calcium, iron, and folate.
They can be purchased online from channels such as Amazon, BigBasket , Flipkart, Vegani, the Gourmet Box, and others.
"We do not use any chemicals, processed fats, artificial flavourings, or additives of any kind. We believe that chemicals belong in labs, not in our foods!” says Jitin.
Edited by Anju Narayanan