May 16, 2025 - Wellness Brief

The "milk" San Francisco cafes love

Carly Mallenbaum

Illustration of a magnifying glass going over a paper coffee cup to reveal the coffee underneath — Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

San Francisco coffee shops are still milking the oat trend.

The big picture: Nationally, oat milk isn't hot anymore. Instead, creamer is king with nearly one in three past-day coffee drinkers using it in their coffee, according to the National Coffee Association's Spring 2025 report.

Whole milk was the most popular non-creamer coffee addition.
Meanwhile, 2% opted for oat milk, per NCA data.

What we're hearing: "Our customers LOVE oat milk," Lauren Crabbe, CEO of Andytown Coffee Roasters in SF, told Axios over email. "The vast majority of our drinks are made with either whole milk [the default] or oat."

And at Ritual in SF, 61% of customers who add something other than whole milk opt for oat, according to retail operations manager Allissia Lias.

Go deeper: Lactose-free milk is more popular than oat milk nationally

Wellness Brief

The "milk" San Francisco cafes love

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