Is This the End of the Flat White? Oatly Reveals the Future of Café Culture.
From botanical blends and unusual flavours to creamy foams and drinks you can almost eat, Oatly’s latest Future of Taste report suggests our café favourites could be in for quite a shake-up. I visited the Oatly Embassy in London to discover what might be coming next.
As a coffee lover, I’m always interested in discovering new flavours and ways to enjoy my daily caffeine fix. So, when I was invited to the Oatly Embassy in London for the launch of its latest Future of Taste report, I was intrigued to find out what the future might hold for our favourite café drinks.
It turned out to be a wonderfully fun-filled event, offering a fascinating insight into just how creative the drinks industry is becoming. Forget simply choosing between a latte, cappuccino or flat white. The future could involve everything from fermented fruits and floral ingredients to unexpected textures, colourful creations and combinations that might initially raise an eyebrow!
And while I certainly won’t be giving up my regular coffee anytime soon, I came away with a fresh appreciation for the imagination going into the drinks we may soon be ordering.
What’s Brewing at Oatly?
For those unfamiliar with the brand, Oatly is a Swedish company that has spent more than 30 years developing oat-based drinks. Headquartered in Malmö, its products are now available in over 50 countries, and the brand has become particularly well known for its Barista Editions, designed to work beautifully with coffee.
Its second Future of Taste report draws on more than 200 interviews with baristas, café owners, mixologists and drinks experts across 21 countries, alongside consumer trends research from CultureLab.
The findings reveal four emerging trends that could transform not only what we’re drinking, but also how we experience our local cafés.
A Little More Nature in Our Cups
One of the biggest developments is the growing interest in herbs, botanicals and fermented ingredients.
According to the report, 40% of drinks professionals believe herbs and botanicals will shape the future of flavour, with ingredients such as ginger, hibiscus and lavender becoming increasingly popular.
Fermentation is another area attracting attention, with drinks such as kombucha, tepache and other traditional fermented beverages finding their way onto more adventurous menus.
It’s an interesting development, particularly as we’re becoming more curious about what goes into our food and drink. The report calls this trend the pharmafication of drinks, reflecting the influence of wellness and traditional ingredients on modern beverage menus.
One of the more unusual creations showcased was the Olive Sour, combining salty olives, brine, lemon and vegetable juice, finished with an olive oil Oatly Barista Cold Foam. Certainly not your average coffee shop order!
Cafés Are About More Than Coffee
This was one of the findings that particularly resonated with me.
We live in an increasingly digital world, with more people working from home and spending much of their day communicating through screens. Yet there’s still something lovely about visiting a café, enjoying a drink and having a proper conversation.
Oatly’s research found that 51% of drinks experts believe community, belonging and connection will play a central role in the future of cafés.
Rather than simply being somewhere to grab a takeaway coffee, cafés could increasingly become social spaces built around shared interests, from music and creative gatherings to specialist coffee and matcha communities.
Having enjoyed the lively atmosphere at the Oatly Embassy, I could certainly appreciate the importance of bringing people together through a shared experience.
Is the Flat White Losing Its Crown?
Now, this is where things become particularly interesting!
The familiar flat white isn’t necessarily disappearing, but it may have some serious competition.
An impressive 82% of baristas and café owners interviewed mentioned drinks that were neither tea nor coffee, suggesting that our café menus are becoming far more adventurous.
Ingredients such as ube, a vibrant purple yam, alongside coconut, hibiscus, hojicha and botanical sodas, are attracting growing attention.
Among the creative drinks featured was the Coconut Pandan Cloud, combining coconut, espresso and orange blossom water with a pandan-flavoured Oatly Cold Foam. It’s a wonderful example of how traditional coffee can be reinvented with more unexpected flavours.
Personally, I love the idea of having more choice. Sometimes you want the comfort of your usual coffee, while on other occasions it’s fun to try something completely different.
The Rise of the Squishy Drink
Perhaps the most playful trend identified in the report is what Oatly calls The Squishy Boom.
Apparently, flavour alone is no longer enough. Texture is becoming an increasingly important part of the drinking experience, with 72% of beverage experts believing mouthfeel is becoming as important as taste.
Think jelly, foam, fizz, chewy toppings, fruit pieces and beautifully layered drinks.
Appearance is important too, with 37% of experts suggesting that how a drink looks is integral to its appeal. It’s easy to see why, particularly in an age when an eye-catching creation can quickly become a social media sensation.
One especially imaginative example was the Pannoat Cotta Thai Tea, featuring a thick, creamy, panna cotta-style base made with Oatly Barista Edition Coconut Flavour, topped with Thai tea.
It’s certainly a long way from a traditional cup of coffee, but that’s part of the excitement. Drinks are becoming experiences in their own right.
A Taste of Things to Come
What I enjoyed most about my visit to the Oatly Embassy was the sense of fun and experimentation. It was refreshing to see familiar ingredients being used in such imaginative ways and to discover that the future of café culture could be about much more than our daily caffeine fix.
The report also highlights something I think is particularly important: while innovation and new flavours are exciting, the social connection that comes with enjoying a drink together remains just as valuable.
Last year’s report identified the growing popularity of decaf, fibre-focused drinks and matcha, and Oatly is now looking ahead to what might become the next big thing.
Will I be swapping my regular coffee for something fermented, floral or topped with jelly? Perhaps not every day, but I’m certainly more open to experimenting after this experience.
And if the future of our cafés involves more creativity, greater choice and a little more fun, I’m all for it.
Poppy Watt