Alt-dairy pioneer Alt Co. looking to raise the bar higher

Rithwik Ramesh

How do you plan to disrupt India's established dairy market? Sales wise, how has the brand's performance been since its inception?

The Indian dairy market is one of the largest globally, and a few organised companies like Amul, KMF, Mother Dairy and Country Delight, among others, control the majority of the market. The total packaged milk market stands at Rs. 35,000 Cr, approx. But when it comes to the Alt Dairy space, there are very few companies offering alternatives, Alt Co. being one of them.

We are a new-age Alt Dairy company providing healthy no-dairy alternatives, and the first company to launch Oat Milk in India. We are the market leaders supplying to all the major cafes across India, and within a short period of 6 months have become available at more than 400 touch points. We cater to vegans, lactose-intolerant people, health and fitness enthusiasts, and sustainability and eco-conscious consumers. In the recent past, the pandemic has made people more conscious about what they consume, they are more aware of the ingredients that make up the products. Not many know that the milk we get these days is heavily adulterated - it does more harm than good. Moreover, the greenhouse gasses produced from dairy farming are higher than greenhouse gasses emitted from any other activity. Therefore, we are making milk from plants that is eco-friendly, sustainable and healthy. We foresee huge scope for plant-based and alt-dairy milks in India.

There is rising demand for health-based products from urban millennials due to lifestyle concerns like diabetes and obesity - what makes Alt Co.'s Oat Milk a healthy alternative?

Our product basically consists of water & oats. Oats, as everyone might already be aware, is a healthy staple that should be consumed on a daily basis, as it has dietary fibers and beta-glucans which are known to be beneficial for people suffering from diabetes. We have further fortified the product with the vitamins required for every individual on a daily basis.

When it comes to people who are lactose intolerant, we have heard from our customers that no other products have come as close as our Oat Milk, as the perfect replacement for animal milk.

With the rise in disposable income levels, when will alternatives like Oat, Soy and Almond milk, etc., become daily staples in the Indian household, like the traditional cow/buffalo milk is today?

The spending power of the Indian household has steadily grown, and people have also become more health conscious, so, we believe these two factors have paved the way for a market for the products we make. We are confident Alt Co. will become one of the staples of every Indian household.

With plant-based alternatives trending globally, do you plan to establish your footprint in clusters in India? How do you plan to enter Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets?

We frequently get queries from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where we are available, on how people can buy our products. Expanding our distributor networks on a daily basis, and opening in new cities and towns, is one of our primary sales aims.

What new initiatives is the brand taking in terms of product launches, expansion, and growth?

We are launching a basket of Alt Dairy products - we started with milk and have plans to soon launch yogurt, ice-cream, chocolates, butter, cheese, and other dairy substitutes. We are also going to start a subscription delivery model for our customers so that they don't have to keep reordering, as these products are most likely consumed on a weekly basis.