Now they have taken a permanent place on the shelves of supermarkets. vegetable milkthat, despite the noticeable higher cost in relation to animals, they “earned” one loyal consumer audience on the Greek market in recent years. Accordingly, they also acquired their own audience. vegetable milk coffeewho are constantly gaining strength, having their due in posts, although they always had a surcharge in canteens.

In fact, consumers have become so resigned to the higher price tag from producers that food markups don’t seem to be a deterrent to buying them. “A consumer who wants to add plant-based milk rather than animal-based milk to his drink is willing to pay a little more,” he tells K characteristically. representative of Grigoris Microhemmat.

But considering that especially in the last five years, almost every company has launched its own version of plant-based milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream or any kind of cream because of this very consumer support, it is puzzling how they are still noticeably more expensive per liter than appropriate products of animal origin.

Demand is growing

Let’s take things from the beginning. In 2017, with a large number of Greek companies entering the plant-based drink game, the market was appreciated. 11.7 million euros and the volume was 4000 tons. Since then, the market, although “young”, has been stable growth of 30% per yearaccording to the information shared with “K”. its representatives Olympus and Delta.

The only exception to the rule was 2022So value And volume compared to the previous year they have shrunk at the average rate 2.9% And 8.1% respectively. Finally, the plant-based beverage market closed last year for 34.7 million euros And 12,800 tonsand now large companies offer more than 10 codes.

However, market participants seem to agree that the 2022 setback was temporary as some of the food industry’s biggest players look to invest in further expanding the plant-based drinks category. “Seeing the trends emerging both in the Greek and global markets, we have every reason to believe that this particular development is only the beginning,” he tells K characteristically. Alpro representative.

For its part, a DELTA spokesperson stated that “the plant-based drinks category in Greece is still in its infancy and we view its future prospects as positive when taking into account the market shares recorded by plant-based drinks in the Italian markets, England and Germany.”

This is due to rapid changes in consumer preferences, as there is not only a tendency to look for healthier food options, but also greater sensitivity to environmental issues. At the same time, consumer needs are changing and they are now looking for enhanced offerings such as alternative products for those who lactose intolerance or for those who are looking beverages high protein.

However, in the current period first Greek preference almond drink and in general – in the context of the transition to healthier foods – version sugarlesswhile it should coconut milk And soy.

Higher prices

Despite their growing popularity, plant-based products are still in demand because they cost more per liter than their animal-based counterparts. Market participants explain the difference in price as reasonable, as it is formed raw material cost in combination with cost of specialized production required for the plant class. Representative of Olympus he even claims that the production of plant products is based on exclusively from Greek raw materialswhich often require support, such as producer financing schemes or contract farming.

At the same time, an important factor that determines prices in the category of vegetables is changing weather conditionsas they affect the cultivation of fruits and often lead to deficiency.

Finally, this pushes the price up and “Inexperience” of the Greek market. As he explains DELTA representative in “K” companies must simultaneously invest in research and development (R&D)to develop new recipes, as well as to purchase appropriate equipment. On the other hand, of course, it is also required communication support properly educate and inform the consumer public, an effort that also entails additional costs.

Result one dominoes for an additional fee and in canteens, which traditionally have different fees for herbal products. “Plant-based drinks have a higher price per liter than animal-based drinks. It is also used in vegan recipes for proper milk foam. large quantity in ml due to the less swelling they have in composition than animals,” he notes in K. representative of Grigoris Microhemmatwhere to find herbal options with surcharge 0.30 euros.

Will we ever see a convergence in livestock prices?

In addition, in the last year, the price was pulled up due to the general rise in the cost of products. Especially, according to Nielsenaverage selling price of all white milk increased by 13% in 2022while the plant-based beverage market introduced a similar up to 5.5%because it was less affected by the increase in raw materials.

Comparison with related animal products is noteworthy, as leveling the difference is a key factor that could potentially drive their price down. From the side DELTA while this confirms that, in a time of high inflation, prices of plant-based beverages have risen more slowly than those of animal-based products, does not expect convergenceat least as far as international market trends are captured by today’s data.

However, there is a window to the future, provided that the market and volumes develop. As he specifically explains representative Olympus: “The more a product develops and becomes more widespread, the more volume increases synergy, which helps to reduce its production and trading costs. For example, synergies can arise from increased production of fruit and other plant material at the growing stage, production on larger production lines that work more efficiently and with smaller stems, and processing more, which reduces distribution costs per kilogram. As long as the product is innovative and premium, the cost is reasonably higher compared to more common and well-known products.”

And, of course, the vicious circle continues in catering, where the cafe is not able to absorb the costs and pass them on to the consumer. As he notes representative of Gregory Microhemmatwhile the prices of plant-based products from manufacturers remain high, and since vegan recipes require more, hard to eliminate the premium from herbal drinks.