Oatly, the popular plant-based milk alternative, wasted no time diving into its 2020 goal to increase retail distribution by announcing a partnership with Starbucks that will allow the coffee chain to offer new non-dairy option for its Midwest locations.
It's been more than 20 years since Starbucks introduced its soy latte option, just as plant-based milks were beginning to gain popularity. The regional launch will offer Oatly as an alternative to traditional daily in 1,300 Midwest locations and will be featured in Starbucks' new Oatmilk Honey Latte.
Oatly quickly gained popularity after the Swedish company made its way to the U.S. in 2017. "We started in specialty coffee, introducing oat milk and Oatly to Americans through their morning latte," Mike Messersmith, U.S. general manager, told Cheddar. Starbucks has offered the option in locations across Europe since 2018 and Starbucks Reserve locations since 2019.
In 2018, Oatly became so popular that it could not keep up with its consumers' demands and was plagued with a supply crisis. However, Messersmith says Oatly is doing better than ever with the opening of its New Jersey factory and the building of a second factory. "Since that opened in May we've really been able to increase our output and capacity significantly," Messersmith said.
As climate change remains a public concern, the GM says Oatly offers consumers an option to help the environment. "A carton of Oatly versus an equivalent volume of whole cow's milk, roughly 65 percent less carbon impact, went into making our product versus theirs," Messersmith said.
The booming popularity of Oatly in the U.S. seems only to be increasing along with the number of people transitioning to a meat and dairy-free diet. Messersmith says offering Oatly in a consumer's morning coffee is a great first step into more plant-based eating.
"With people making transitions to plant-based diets, you want to have that first really positive experience," Messersmith said.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
At the core of the ongoing government shutdown is a fight over the decision to end subsidies that let some 12 million Americans get health coverage.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
