Expo West 2023: Califia CEO Talks Organic Plant Milks

Despite being a longtime presence in grocery coolers nationwide, Califia Farms continues to find new ways to develop products within the premium coffee and plant-based milk categories. Many of those innovations – including its most recent release, its first organic-certified oat milk and almond milk – have been driven by the brand’s active social media community, according to CEO Dave Ritterbush, many of whom are paying closer attention to ingredient labels and formulations as the non-dairy segment matures. 

Those voices, he said, are demanding “basic,” stripped-down formulations; for milks, that means none of the gums, fillers or oils commonly found within the category. Sporting just three ingredients – water, sea salt and either organic oats or almonds – Califia’s new milks aim to deliver that experience and compete with existing clean-label brands like MALK and New Barn Organics.