The New Milk Alternative That Has People Torn
Sometimes kitchen experiments go woefully awry, only to create a much better outcome than imagined. That's what happened when Sachie Nomura, a Japanese-born chef who hosts a cooking show in Auckland, New Zealand, was trying to create a mayonnaise substitute by mixing up avocado and milk (via NZ Herald). "I thought it tasted amazing, and I had never seen a milk made out of avocados before," Nomura said. After some tinkering — pairing the creamy green fruit with different dairy types and dairy alternatives — Nomura decided on oat milk, and the Avocadomilk brand was born.
The milk (available in the traditional avocado flavor as well as a chocolate version made with cacao) was previously sold in Australia and New Zealand, but will be making its debut on U.S. shelves in August (via Delish). Avocadomilk will be available in 122 supermarkets in select areas: California, Hawaii, Texas, and the Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions.
The upsides of Avocadomilk
Avocadomilk has already made waves on the competition circuit, winning numerous industry awards, including the 2020 World Food Innovation Award for Best Health or Wellness Drink (via FoodBev Media), plus two Zenith Global 2020 InnoBev Awards, for Best New Brand and Best New Drink Concept.
When bringing the concept stateside, however, one small tweak was necessary: VegNews notes that honey was removed to create a vegan product. In addition, Avocadomilk uses a proprietary technology that freeze-dries avocado for a lasting shelf life without losing its wealth of nutritional benefits — and it's able to utilize the "ugly" avocados that are deemed unsuitable for supermarkets and would normally be tossed.
According to People, Avocadomilk will probably appeal to health enthusiasts and environmentally-conscious types with a litany of upsides: It's free of dairy and lactose, preservatives, and artificial colors or flavors, with at least 20 percent avocado content. The company claims to pay its ugly-avocado suppliers "above market rate," irrigates its farms with only rainwater, and crafts its bottles from 100 percent recycled plastics, with labeling from vegetable-derived inks.
Sure, the traditional variety might turn off some milk-alternative buyers with its bright green hue, but they can always try a bottle of the chocolate version before committing — consider it the gateway of avocado milks.