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ensure that it continues to remain relevant in this changing landscape through new product innovation. “This is going to be more crucial in the years to come,” she said. Secondly, Ms de Leeuw says that over the past year, supply chain challenges have had an impact on many businesses. “Business running a just-in-time supply chain model have firsthand experienced the risk and fragility of this approach,” she said. “We have a very experienced supply chain team who look at the macro as well as micro impacts and take actions accordingly. Having very supportive supply partners working closely with our agile supply team, we’ve managed to ensure continuity of supply in challenging times.” Ms de Leeuw also points to the “strong support” of private label products in recent times. “As a brand, our challenge is to ensure we connect with the consumer so as to pursue them to pick up our offering,” she said. “We’ve recently undergone a packaging refresh for The House of Robert Timms, which has resulted in a fresh new look and feel, allowing the brand to reconnect with existing consumers and attract new ones. “For Bushells Coffee, we have significant commitment to the Driver Reviver program, as a national sponsor for the past 20 years, as well as \\\\\\\[our\\\\\\\] community partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities.” When it comes to supporting retailers, Ms de Leeuw says FreshFood assists in attracting and engaging the consumers in the category by ensuring the company has relevant price support mechanisms. “It’s crucial for our team to understand what key levers and drivers our retail partners want to leverage, and custom the support accordingly,” she said. “There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.” While coffee is consumed throughout the year, Ms de Leeuw acknowledged: “Coming up to winter and specifically the time where days are shorter, the weather colder and we tend to want to hibernate, coffee becomes a comfort. “Through our social media we provide inspiration and creative ideas, which can be tried out at home and shared at key gatherings, from making exotic coffee to delicious recipes containing our favourite ingredient.” TO PAGE 34 HOT BEVERAGES ALTERNATIVE MILK FOR AN AT-HOME CAFE EXPERIENCE Minor Figures is promoted as a barista oat milk that is used in “top-tier” coffee shops across the country. “Australian consumers love a good coffee, and cafe culture is a strong part of young consumers’ lifestyle,” Minor Figures Head of Sales Miranda Jack said. She adds that millennial and Gen Z consumers are moving towards more plant-based options in their diet (including their coffees) – hence, Minor Figures oat milk is said to be an “in-demand” alternative milk in leading cafes and roasteries across the country. “As the cafe-hopping lifestyle was challenged throughout the lockdowns and work-from-home environment in 2020, consumers have moved to replicate the cafe coffee experience in their homes,” Ms Jack said. “This has seen barista-standard brands like Minor Figures in high demand as consumers have found that the best way to match the cafe experience is by purchasing products that are in use in their favourite cafes.” Looking at alternative milk in supermarkets, Ms Jack says the category grew 13 per cent last year and is now worth $256 million (IRI Coles, Quantium data, 52 weeks to 9/3/21), adding that this has been driven by consumers making purchasing decisions based on the health and environmental benefits of plant-based offerings. “Within this category, the fastest growing segment is oat milk, which is growing at 219 per cent YoY. Sales in oat milk tripled in the last 52 weeks, taking share of the category from both soy and almond,” she said. “The category is also becoming more premium as consumers are willing to pay more for higher quality brands that reflect their values, and brands such as Minor Figures, which is a barista-standard and carbon neutral offering, deliver to these needs.” As the category “rapidly” grows, says Ms Jack, the challenge is for the retailer to be able to accurately forecast this at a store level and ensure enough stock is on shelf to keep up with the demand. With this in mind, Ms Jack notes that while, as a young business, it can often be expensive to buy data, Minor Figures believes it’s imperative to educate not only its own team, but also buyers on what’s happening within this space. “Being a global business with access to data within Australia and also the UK and the US (which are more established oat milk markets), we’re able to show the grocery retailers trends that are happening in markets that are ahead of Australia, to help them prepare for what’s coming and the opportunity that the oat milk category has,” she said. “Buyers are then working with our sales team to make changes to the planogram based on these growth trends, to maintain availability on shelf as our brand continues to accelerate growth.” Considering Minor Figures’ future, Ms Jack says everything the business will do will constantly push boundaries, drive innovation and excite its consumers. “Who knows what will be next,” she said, “but one thing is for sure, it will be plant-based, carbon neutral and barista- standard, like everything we do.” MAY, 2021 RETAIL WORLD 33