Plant-Based Milk Brand MALK Organics To Expand With New Funding
Expansion is really the name of the game for plant-based milk. Though it may seem as if plant-based milk — like almond milk, soy milk, and oat milk — is a modern phenomenon, Food Manufacturing points out that soy milk has been made in China since 1365, and almond milk dates back to the 13th century in the Middle East.
But the moment for plant-based milk is now; Food Navigator-USA notes that in the U.S. alone, the plant-based milk market was worth roughly $2.3 billion for the 12-month period ending June 2022. Data Bridge Market Research puts the global plant-based milk market at around $38.9 billion and forecasts growth to $123.2 billion by 2029. That's an awful lot of almonds.
Food Manufacturing explains that some critics of plant-based milk argue that the products are more processed and contain more additives than dairy-based milk, though some plant-based businesses stand out as purists, producing additive-free milk that's pretty darn pure. And Austin, Texas-based MALK Organics is one of these producers, with almond and oat milks the company describes as being, "Simply made. Nothing to hide. Made with the best stuff possible." How's that working out? Pretty darn well.
More MALK for everyone
In a press release dated December 6, 2022, MALK Organics announced new funding from an investment campaign, which was led by two investment firms, Benvolio Group and Rotor Capital. MALK plans to use the $9 million in funds "to continue to expand its retail presence, increase marketing efforts, and continue to recruit high caliber team members." MALK's oat and almond milks are already available at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Fresh Thyme, as well as a number of other retailers and on Instacart. The company's big goal for early 2023 is to have MALK products available at all Publix locations.
MALK's simple, streamlined packaging speaks to what's inside; their unsweetened Almond MALK contains only filtered water, organic almonds, and Himalayan pink salt. As for how it tastes, we ranked 16 almond milks from worst to best, and Almond MALK finished in the top three. Though the Oat MALK didn't fare quite as well in our taste test, the company's commitment to transparency and simplicity of ingredients is admirable.