Firehose #173: 🥛 Wild Oats. 🥛

Oatly’s story is remarkable because it has so many elements of what great DTC brands have gotten right, but in a different context. That is, Oatly spoke directly to its customer, shipped changes quickly, took on a rebellious tone, and sought validation from “celebrities” (in this case, niche coffee/tea shops) to encourage trial.

Independent research confirms that large CPG grew 1.1% from 2013-17, while upstart brands grew almost 4x faster in the same time period. The contraction has caused these firms to jettison shrinking legacy brands like Lipton, Chiclets, and more. They are recycling that cash to buy smaller companies (e.g. RxBar to NYSE:K for $600m) to replace the gro... See more