REDEFINING CONVENIENCE: The 21st Century Milkman

By Jenna Movsowitz

Sustainable innovation doesn’t have to be a brand new, never-been-seen-before product. Rather, sustainable solutions can come from looking at an existing product and rethinking how it can be delivered in a more eco-conscious way. That’s exactly what the founders of JOI aimed to do: create a more sustainable alternative to a sustainable product in the marketplace.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO AN ALTERNATIVE

The co-founders of JOI met in design school. They each brought a unique perspective to the table. Izzy wanted to reduce her carbon footprint, Dave was lactose intolerant and Tony wanted fresher-tasting milk for his vegan diet. Together, they decided to rethink almond milk — the most prevalent alternative to dairy at the time.

Although almond milk is plant-based and dairy free, the team had several qualms with the way almond milk was being produced and packaged. They discovered that traditional almond milk contained only about 2% almond content and 98% water. This meant that plant-based milk products were essentially shipping around water — an inefficient practice that secretly contributed to the conscious consumer’s carbon footprint. And though the cartons often wore the word “recyclable,” their three-layer packaging was extremely 20 challenging to recycle in practice.

With this knowledge, Dave, Izzy and Tony saw an opportunity for higher-quality, truly environmentally-friendly plant-based milk. They worked closely with scientists to find a product that met their needs, and would meet consumers’ need for convenience. Their answer? Concentrates.

Essentially, these concentrates – which now come in several nut and oat varieties – are pastes of your favorite plant-based milk. They are 100% of the raw material content, and use no water in the manufacturing process. The resulting paste can be blended easily with water at home to create a DIY-esque high-fiber, high-protein milk product with no added preservatives or sweeteners.

REINVENTING THE MILKMAN

Each container of JOI’s plant-based paste produces an equivalent of seven cartons of milk. One truckload of JOI milk shipped direct-to-consumer equates to five to six full truckloads of plant-based milks, which are often lugged around to several middlemen before reaching the consumer’s grocery cart.

“We like to think that we’re reinventing the milkman for the 21st century,” says Hector Gutierrez, CEO of JOI. Not only does their fully direct-to-consumer operation eliminate excess transportation (and thus carbon emissions), but it also redefines convenience. No longer does a consumer have to heave cartons of mostly-water around at the grocery store. Instead, they can receive a small package at their doorstep and make fresh-tasting, nutrient-dense milk in only 30 seconds at home — just add water.

SUSTAINABILITY FROM A-TO-Z

The core of JOI’s mission is to design products that empower the consumer while reducing carbon emissions and packaging waste. But their sustainable practices go beyond the innovative product itself. JOI is also thoughtful about sourcing from farmers with strong irrigation practices, who isolate their irrigation to specific trees rather than relying on mass irrigation.

“We are thinking of sustainability from A-to-Z. We want to source the best product, put it through the best manufacturing processes, and put it in packaging that allows the consumer to feel really good about their environmental footprint,” says Hector. Looking ahead, JOI is working on expanding their sustainability efforts by introducing completely compostable packaging to create a zero-waste product.

If you’re a CPG brand looking to reduce your carbon footprint, Hector recommends starting with looking at how you define convenience. When “convenience” is reduced to single-serving sachets or bubble-wrapped shipping boxes, it will never be seen as compatible with sustainability. But what if “convenience” was seen in the ease of less packaging, carrying around less weight, or having something on your shelves to make at home as-needed? Taking time to look outside of the box (literally and figuratively) won’t just make your brand more eco-friendly; it may just retrain consumers to see “easy” and “sustainable” as synonymous.

Hector Gutierrez, CEO: Two-time founder and entrepreneur with over 12 years experience in the food industry, both startups and large corporations. Former 3G, former COO of Jugo Fresh. Cuban-American, Miami based, Fitness junkie, food-obsessed and new father.

www.addjoi.com madewithJOI @addjoi