Plant-based startup Milkish wants to reinvigorate sagging sales of non-dairy milk by addressing head-on the challenges that are turning consumers away from the category – including concerns about the category’s environmental sustainability and nutritional profile.
According to data from Nielsen IQ, US omnichannel sales of alternative milks fell for the first time in years in the fall of 2024 when the market research firm reported a 4.4% drop or a loss of $2.9 billion in the 52 weeks ending Sept. 28.
NIQ attributed the “surprising shift” in part to cross-category price hikes that are pushing consumers to seek more nutritional bang-for-their buck. Others call out plant-based options' varying environmental sustainability, which may outperform dairy, but which can still have a significant water footprint depending on the primary ingredients.
Milkish addresses both of these challenges – and brings a degree of novelty to the category – by using watermelon seeds as its primary ingredient.
“One thing that we have noticed as we launch Milkish is a lot of people are seeking novelty. There is a lot of the same other plant-based milks in the market right now – almond, oat, soy – a lot of things that people are used to. But we are bringing something completely new to the market with new nutritional attributes and new sustainability attributes that are really intriguing people,” company Founder Guilherme Maia Silva explained at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas.
Milkish is positioned as better for people and the planet
Silva explained that Milkish is “up to par” nutritionally with other plant-based milk with 2 grams of protein per serving and plans to launch a higher-protein SKU in the future. It also has zero added sugar or sweeteners and is lower in calories than some other plant-based milks.
The brand also is better for the planet than some competing plant-based milks, said Silva.
“It takes 99% less water to grow watermelon seeds than almonds, so it is a more sustainable alternative on top of the great nutritional profile,” he explained.
He added consumers are more aware now of water scarcity and with so many natural disasters in the news many are looking for more sustainable options.
“It is at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds that sustainability is not just necessarily carbon footprint, it is a lot of other things encompassed together. So, water footprint is something we are really trying to communicate with customers – that they can make a positive impact just by choosing different alternatives in their own diet,” he explained.
Milkish wins ‘fan favorite’ a Winter Fancy Food Show pitch event
Milkish recently won the fan favorite package at the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Face-Off pitch in Las Vegas during the Winter Fancy Food Show, which included $2,500 and professional services. The money will go towards raising awareness of Milkish through in-store demos as well as potential collaborations with retailers and other brands.
“Our plan for 2025 is to continue spreading this positive message about watermelon seeds and onboarding new retailers. We are constantly looking for new retail partners to carry our product and we can support them with different marketing initiatives and also demo programs,” Silva said.
Finally, he added, Milkish is exploring opportunities in food service as a way to drive trial.
