We are not a milk company. We are a post-milk company. That distinction matters because it means we are not competing with dairy — we are replacing it.
Our packaging says things that would get a normal CEO fired. But being boring is the biggest risk in a crowded market.
We won the baristas first. When your cool local coffee shop uses Oatly, that is more powerful than any Super Bowl ad.
The stock crashed 90%. I understand the frustration. But the mission has not changed and neither has the demand for plant-based milk.
Oatly existed for 20 years as a boring Swedish health brand before I arrived. All I did was make it interesting. Branding is strategy.
We got sued by the Swedish dairy industry for saying oat milk is better than cow milk. We turned the lawsuit into a marketing campaign. They lost twice.