Oatly vs Minor Figures Oat Milk

The oat milk market has become crowded enough that differences between brands are worth paying attention to. The 2 I keep comparing are Oatly and Minor Figures because they take opposite approaches to the same product. Oatly's barista edition froths thick and holds its shape in a latte. Texture is creamy, and the taste is slightly sweet with a grain-forward flavor that reminds me of the milk left at the bottom of a cereal bowl. Minor Figures is thinner and more neutral, designed to let coffee dominate rather than competing with it. Baristas at the shop I go to prefer it because it steams more predictably and doesn't scorch as easily. Packaging tells you a lot about brand identity. Oatly uses bold hand-drawn type and conversational copy, treating the carton like a billboard for their personality. Minor Figures uses minimal illustration and muted colors, suggesting they'd rather you focus on the coffee. Ingredient lists differ too. Oatly uses rapeseed oil for creaminess while Minor Figures uses a different emulsifier. Formulation choice is why one feels rich and the other feels clean. Environmental claims are similar. Both emphasize lower water usage compared to dairy and lower carbon footprint than almond milk. Oatly has been more aggressive about advertising these numbers, which some people find refreshing and others find exhausting. Price is comparable at about $5 per carton, roughly double the cost of dairy milk. Oat milk has somehow normalized that premium in under 5 years. I keep Oatly at home for cereal and Minor Figures for coffee. Using both for different purposes shows that even within a single product category, design decisions create meaningfully different experiences. Oat milk went from a niche Scandinavian product to an expected option at every coffee shop in about 4 years. The speed of that adoption says as much about cultural readiness as it does about the product itself.