Based in Sweden, the newly-launched vegan dairy brand Dug developed the world’s first potato-based plant milk. According to the startup, it doesn’t just foam like real dairy – it’s far more sustainable, even compared to competitor plant-based milks on the market. Dug was created by Veg of Lund, a food innovator rooted in Professor Eva Tornberg’s research at Lund University. Instead of using soy, oats, or almonds, Dug uses potatoes.
According to the brand, it’s the world’s first-ever potato-based vegan milk alternative. Using a base of potatoes, the startup’s formulation contains pea protein, maltodextrin, chicory fiber, rapeseed oil, and natural flavorings. Dug is also fortified with vitamins including D, B12 and folic acid.
At the moment, Dug offers three flavors: Original, Barista, Unsweetened. The entire range is free from lactose, soy, gluten, and nuts, which make it stand out from other kinds of vegan milk on the market. It functions just like dairy milk and can be used to cook, bake and even create the perfect foam for lattes.
The brand’s potato milk boasts an impressively low carbon footprint, estimated at around 0.27t to 0.31 kg CO2e/kg. It also uses up far less land, requiring half the amount that farming oats need. In terms of water use, Dug uses 56-times less water than almond milk.
“We have a good product that we are proud of,” shared Thomas Olander, CEO of Veg of Lund. “Our choice to use potatoes as a base means that we have a super-sustainable drink. Potatoes don’t need much to grow at all, making them a super-sustainable crop compared to others like soybeans, almonds or oats. Not to mention dairy products.”
