Flash Coffee has made the boldest move yet in the alt-milk market, becoming the first major cafe chain in Singapore to serve Oatside by default in all milk-based drinks.
In other words, if a customer wants cow’s milk in their latte, they need to ask when ordering.
Oatside will be served at the same price as regular coffee without the premium common in many cafe chains across Asia-Pacific.
“Choosing to consume better can be difficult,” said Flash Coffee CEO David Brunier. “That’s why we’d like to help our customers take a small step forward – wherever they are in their journey to being better, kinder consumers – by making oat milk the default at our outlets.”
Flash Coffee and Oatside have also teamed up to launch a marketing campaign dubbed #Sipforchange, aimed at encouraging consumers to switch to non-dairy alt-milks, the tech-enabled startup saying it underpins the brand’s commitment to “actively support consumers in making consumption choices that are healthier and more sustainable, without compromising on taste”.
#SipForChange will “highlight the everyday challenges consumers face in making sustainable consumption choices and encourages them to stay the course”.
Flash Coffee is just three years old but already operates more than 200 stores in five markets across Asia Pacific: Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and South Korea. It has investment backing from companies including Rocket Internet and Delivery Hero.
Oatside’s founder Benedict Lim said Flash’s decision followed a positive customer response to promotions during the past year where the surcharge on oat milk was removed, encouraging customers to try the blend. Sales data showed oat milk revenue more than doubled during the promotions with many customers making the change once the promotion ended.
“We are really excited to have Flash Coffee pioneer this movement in Singapore as we work towards our shared goal of making delicious oat milk accessible to all,” said Lim.
“We hope that by making healthier, sustainable and great-tasting choices more accessible and convenient, we can inspire more Singaporeans to start and stay on their journey towards consuming better.”
