It was the last day of 2021 when I posted this on LinkedIn and I thought I’ll share my excitement about 2 brands for the coming year and beyond here on Reddit as well – Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) and Oatly (NASDAQ: OTLY).

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The main reason I have high hopes for both brands is their mission. I resonate with it and wish that more people would do too. The good news is that I feel we, as the entire society, are slowly getting there. The bad news is that we do it at snail’s pace. Take a look at BYND and OTLY summarised mission statements below and if you do feel like I do, let me know! I would highly appreciate some more likeminded people in my circle for the New Year.

• Beyond Meat believes there’s a better way to feed our future and I couldn’t agree more. In their own words – ‘By shifting from animal to plant-based meat, we can positively affect growing global issues such as constraints on natural resources and animal welfare. After all, the positive choices we make every day – no matter how small – can have a great impact on our world.‘
• Oatly believes they can help secure the longevity of our planet by shifting consumption of animals to plants. As they state on their website – ‘We believe we should grow stuff to eat instead of growing stuff to feed animal than we then eat.’ Followed by ‘Our goal is to always deliver products that have maximum nutritional value and minimal environmental impact.’

Key theme in both missions? Transition from animal to plant-based products, whether it’s meats, drinks, ice creams or anything else in this realm. All with the goal to make us healthier and the planet less stressed. What’s not to like here?

Transition from animal to plant-based products.

The second reason for my optimism in relation to Beyond Meat and Oatly is their brands itself. It’s one thing to have a clear vision, great mission and an action plan, completely other when it comes to communicating it internally to the employees and externally to fans, consumers, investors and other stakeholders.

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Beyond Meat has had many believers backing their brand since the launch in 2009 and the following continues to grow rapidly. From large institutional investors like The Vanguard Group, celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio or Kevin Hart to common people like myself, my girlfriend and millions of others following BYND social media channels. I had my friends and family try their burgers at Haché restaurants in London and most recently at McDonald’s, thanks to the partnership between the two brands on reworking McPlant and making it so much better! I even found some of the frozen patties in Lithuania, where I currently work from home, so my parents will be able to test it out as well (I’ll sure share their thoughts in the comments once the meal has been served)! Where I’m going with this and what might look like a paid ad, which it’s certainly not, is that Beyond Meat has a brand which communicates its values to the people around them in a great fashion and those same people then become ambassadors spreading the word even further, all for the great cause.

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Oatly, founded in 1994, has also been backed by large institutional investors like Blackstone Inc and celebrities which need no introduction – Oprah Winfrey and Jay-Z at the top of the list. Yet the brand seems to still be flying under the radar when it comes to the general public, looking at just over 300K social media followers. However, the next time you go to your favourite coffee shop and ask for an oat milk (drink) for your cappuccino or flat white, chances are the barista will use one of Oatly’s wide variety of products. The reason? Positive environmental credentials, strong nutritional benefits, vegan, and it does follow the same principles of cow’s milk by being rich, creamy, and slightly sweet. So incredibly close to what a milk drinker is used to, yet friendlier to both planet and you yourself. Not convinced?In 2017, a mere 10 coffee shops were stocking Oatly in the United States, one of the many oat milk brands that you can purchase. Fast forward to 2019 and that number has shot up to around 3,500 coffee shops in the country. The similar growth story has also been closely replicated in Europe and China. The product is tasty on its own, with cereals and granola or in coffee, either bought at one of the coffee shops or made at home. Not to mention that my own morning coffee for the last 2 years has only included oat milk, not always Oatly, but about 90% of the time.

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I could write even more – about the financials of both Beyond Meat and Oatly, increasing demand and supply chain issues thanks to Covid, growth outlooks, management teams, etc. – but not today. Today is for sharing my general excitement about the two, not getting into the very important game of numbers and politics.

If you read this far, I salute you and truly hope your NYE plans haven’t been wrecked by delta, omicron or other illnesses going around the world as I write my final post/article for the year 2021. To the great 2022!

P.S. I own individual stocks of both BYND and OTLY and this article is in no way or form a financial advice. I just love the mission and brands behind it. Owning stocks and purchasing both companies’ products only reiterates my commitment to the global mission – transition from animal to plant-based meats and drinks.