Oatly’s AFTERTASTE industry summit helped catapult the brand beyond the grocery store aisle and into the cultural conversation
As beverage culture explodes, Oatly is ensuring it’s not only a key ingredient within the conversation and the concoctions, but that it’s also leading them. With the goal of creating “the Davos of beverage,” the oat drink brand’s recent AFTERTASTE event in New York City immersed 300 leaders, operators, tastemakers, creators and journalists from the coffee, f&b and hospitality industries in presentations and sampling inspired by the brand’s latest strategic Look Book Vol. 3 trend and beverage design guide.
“AFTERTASTE was inspired by the idea that beverage culture is evolving rapidly—drinks are no longer just functional, they’ve become expressions of taste, identity, community, wellness, status and culture,” says Michael Lee, evp, executive creative director at Oatly. “As a brand with deep roots in coffee and beverage, Oatly wanted to create an experience that reflected that broader shift.”
The one-day program in June blended an industry forum with custom drinks and experiential elements. An attendee favorite, Matcha Park enveloped participants in a monochromatic green environment that came to life with a real Matcha Fountain, park benches, street lamps and stylized greenery. A Matcha Bar served up Oatly-based drinks, such as Fig Leaf Matcha, Mochi Matcha, Teas & Black Sugar and Matcha Slushies.
At the Oat-O-Mat, attendees could sample unexpected “Jell-OAT” creations inspired by trends from the Look Book, including the Big Apple, Everything Bagel, Espresso Martini and Naughty Negroni.
Continuing the NYC vibe and tapping into the event’s “Word on the Street” creative theme, an Oat Propaganda Newsstand installation reimagined a classic newsstand with a black, white and pink color palette; a “Breaking News” banner; flowers wrapped in newspaper; stickers; and brand-inspired posters. There, baristas distributed cold brews and iced chai lattes with Oatly cold foam, and attendees could peruse the Look Book and pick up branded snacks and collectible items.
The pink-splashed Contraband Corner featured curated merchandise from well-known cafés and beverage brands around the world, “highlighting how cafés have evolved into lifestyle brands with communities, products and identities that extend well beyond the beverages they serve,” Lee says. T-shirts, hats, pins, mugs, totes and keychains were on display in the room, and attendees could exchange pink or black tokens for certain swag pieces.
“Oatly products were featured throughout the day in tastings, drink menus and the immersive activations, but always in service of the larger story,” he says. “Rather than centering the experience on product sampling alone, we wanted guests to see how Oatly fits into the conversations, trends and café culture shaping what people drink next.”
Lastly, attendees sat in on panel sessions led by Oatly staff members, journalists, and coffee shop owners and founders that covered topics ranging from “Everything’s a Café Now” to “Gen Z Didn’t Kill Drinking Culture, They Just Changed It.” For AFTERTASTE’s closing keynote, comedian Hasan Minhaj and Food & Wine’s Kat Kinsman discussed chai as ritual, identity and cultural memory.
“One of the biggest takeaways was the strong appetite for experiences that combine thought leadership with immersive brand storytelling,” Lee says. “Bringing together expert discussions, product experiences and interactive installations created opportunities for guests to engage with the brand in a way that felt authentic and participatory.”
Photos: Courtesy of Oatly
