Deutsche Bahn trains begin serving Oatly on-board as part of green strategy

A Deutsche Bahn ICE train. Germany's national rail company sold approximately 9.5 million coffee beverages on its trains in 2019 | Photo credit: Daniel Abadia

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Deutsche Bahn has begun serving Oatly with coffee beverages sold on board its trains, marking the first time Germany’s national rail carrier has offered a plant-based milk alternative on its services.
 
Oatly Barista Edition will be available via onboard catering on Deutsche Bahn’s ICE and Intercity services, a move the train operator says underlines its commitment to promoting a more sustainable plant-based food system.
 
Deutsche Bahn is one of the largest railway companies in Europe and sold approximately 9.5 million coffee beverages on its trains in 2019. The company has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2040 and has committed to more than 150 'green measures' to achieve its target. 
 
"At Oatly, we want to drive a more sustainable food system, because this is essential not only for our health, but especially for the climate. To achieve this, we need to make the switch to a more plant-based diet as easy as possible by making tasty plant-based products available to more consumers. We are proud that Deutsche Bahn is introducing Oatly as the first ever plant-based milk alternative in their on-board catering. And we hope that many other companies follow this example," said Tobias Goj, General Manager, Oatly Germany.
 
Plant-based dairy alternatives are becoming increasingly mainstream in coffee shops and hospitality settings. In January 2022, Seattle-based Starbucks announced it would drop a £0.40 ($0.54) surcharge for plant-based milks across its 1,000+ UK stores, echoing similar moves my Costa Coffee and Pret A Manger.

In the US, boutique coffee chain Blue Bottle now serves oatmilk as the default coffee pairing at 27 of its stores in the US, with oatmilk orders now accounting for 64% of milk-based beverages in Southern California.
 
Meanwhile, in December 2021, café giant Tim Hortons announced it would start selling Chobani oat drinks across 4,000 stores in its flagship Canadian market.