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Beverage veteran Christopher Link brings his experience to the newly created role at oat milk giant Oatly, where the executive took on the role of chief customer officer last month.
Prior to his appointment, Link served on the board of directors of East Coast Kombucha Company and was an avidising partner at Ford's Garage. He has served as Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Sales and Operations at BlueTriton Brands since April 2021, and prior to that, he spent more than 20 years at Nestlé Waters, where he held several positions including Executive Vice President of Customer Development and Sales Operations and Vice President of Retail Sales.
“I have had the privilege of working in the food and beverage industry for over 25 years making a significant impact on consumer health, and I am thrilled to now be able to make a similar impact with our high-quality plant-based milks.” “In an exclusive statement to Food Dive, Link said:
Oatly's Chief Customer Officer is a newly created role for our US team. Link will be responsible for: Build oversight and collaborative partnerships with U.S. retail customers and drive growth in the plant-based dairy alternatives category.
“My first priority will be to work closely with all the functional teams within Oatly to build very transparent and collaborative relationships so that we can work together to achieve the company’s mission,” Link said of what he will focus on in his new role.
“Externally, it is essential that we are strategically aligned with our retail customers and have a shared vision of providing the best value among plant-based dairy alternatives.”
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Over the past year, Oatly has taken steps to cut costs. The oat milk manufacturer cut its SKUs by 70% in Asia earlier this year and halted plans to build plants in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, all in an effort to manage declining bottom lines.
The latest earnings report showed that the business decision was paying off. The Americas segment grew 2% year over year in the last quarter, and the company now controls more than 25% of the refrigerated oat milk category in the market. Q4 2023 earnings announcement.
Link, who will lead the company's retail strategy going forward, said Oatly must be aligned with consumers.
“The 70-year decline in dairy consumption in the United States is unlikely to reverse anytime soon,” Link said. “As consumers’ purchasing power grows, especially among Gen Z and Millennials, the preference for plant-based milks based on health and environmental concerns will become more mainstream.”
“We are in the midst of a generational shift away from dairy that must be carefully understood and managed to extract the most value. As the first and largest global producer of oat-based non-dairy alternatives, Oatly is uniquely positioned to create value through our core refrigerated oat milk, but also to create even more opportunity through our large ambient segment and exciting innovations to drive real incremental value.”
In 2021, per capita dairy consumption in the United States hit an all-time low of 16 gallons, down from 29 gallons in 1975.
The dairy industry’s decline is particularly evident among Gen Z consumers, who in 2022 bought 20% less milk than the national average.
Dairy companies retaliated by urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to: It prohibits companies from labeling their products as “milk.” If it doesn’t come from a lactating animal, the FDA said plant-based milk manufacturers can still use the term, but they must clarify the nutritional differences between it and cow’s milk.
Since the advent of plant-based milk, Oatly faced challenges. Through the supply chain.
In 2021 Oat crops in Canada and the United States In 2022, there was a severe drought, and the shortage was further aggravated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That year, The company warned consumers about the price increase..
In February, plant-based milk producers began taking a number of cost-cutting measures, including raising prices to offset rising raw material costs worldwide.
“Oatly has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure the stability of our supply chain,” Link said. “Now that we have that work underway, it’s important to continue to drive the ubiquity and availability of products that are in high demand,” he said, adding that securing more retail partnerships to drive consumer trials is a top priority.
“We will continue to champion all plant-based dairy alternatives and launch creative and impactful consumer communications that will drive excitement, traffic, and trials for the entire category.”
