If you thought the plant-based milk category was quite literally saturated, you’d be wrong. Although it’s a crowded market, there’s white space to be found. Enter Táche, the first true pistachio-based nut milk.
As a female, minority founded and family-run brand from serial entrepreneurs Roxana and Morteza (father) Saidi, Táche is cracking open the industry with its nutritious, enjoyable, sustainable, and disruptive new product. We caught up Roxana to learn more.
ForceBrands: What inspired you to launch Táche?
Roxana Saidi: Growing up, I was surrounded by pistachios as they were the go-to snack in our household and quickly became one of my favorite nuts. Years later, at a long family lunch in Paris, I had a full-circle moment when I was craving an almond milk latte. I realized that the snack I’ve loved all my life was not only flavorful and healthy, but could also be turned into milk. The lightbulb went off and immediately upon returning to New York City, I started making different versions of pistachio milk in my apartment kitchen. I recognized the opportunity and incredible potential for what I was doing, so I brought my father, a 4x former founder in Silicon Valley, out of retirement to support me in creating Táche Pistachio Milk.
FB: With the rise of alternative plant-based milks sweeping the market, how did you decide upon pistachios?
RS: Pistachios have been consumed for thousands of years and have built a real cache as a premium nut, yet, they have been highly underutilized in the U.S. compared to other nuts. Our goal is to change that. We deliver on a truly enjoyable delicious experience. Táche has been tasted by over 1,000 consumers: over 95 percent stated they would consume Táche entirely by itself. And shockingly (even to us), not one person has rejected Táche as enjoyable.
With almond and oat milk, no one drinks them for pure pleasure — they are almost always vehicles for other things i.e. coffee, matcha, smoothies, etc. Táche is the only true pistachio milk on the market and the only plant-based milk that is delicious enough to drink on its own. However, our pistachio milk is also extremely barista-friendly, foaming very well with no separation or grittiness. Unlike oats, we use premium ingredients and the highest quality pistachios sourced globally.
FB: What makes pistachios more sustainable and environmentally friendly than other dairy competitors like almond milk?
RS: Firstly, compared to dairy milk, all plant-based milk options are more environmentally friendly when it comes to water use, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions. It’s good to keep that in mind when comparing plant-based alt-milks. UNESCO’s Institute for Water Education report found that pistachios require significantly less water compared to almonds. The report found that the water footprint of almond trees is almost 4x larger than that of pistachio trees (25.5 gallons/oz. for pistachios versus 97.2 gallons/oz. for almonds). Based on UNESCO’s research, pistachios reduced water usage makes them a more environmentally friendly option.
FB: What’s the nutritional benefit of pistachio milk?
RS: Humans have been enjoying pistachios for over 9,000 years — talk about a healthy, functioning relationship. Here are just a handful of the dozens of health benefits pistachios offer:
• Complete Protein: Recent research revealed, unlike all other nuts, roasted pistachios are a complete protein. A complete protein contains all nine essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.
• High in Antioxidants: Pistachios are the third most antioxidant-rich nut. They’re high in lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which protect your eyes from blue light damage (yes, you read that right) and age-related macular degeneration.
• Healthy Heart: One of the key health benefits of pistachios is that they are heart-friendly. regular pistachio consumption decreases “Bad” LDL Cholesterol and increases “Good” HDL Cholesterol in the body.
• Good for Your Gut: Gut health is linked to better immunity, healthier weight, and improved mood. A recent study found that eating pistachios helped increase the number of beneficial gut bacteria.
• Pack B Vitamins: Pistachios supply one of the highest amounts of Vitamin B6 among nuts. B Vitamins help produce ATP, or the energy in cells.
Taking it one step further, let’s compare Táche to the other creamy favorite, oat milk. Unlike most oat milk options, we add absolutely no vegetable or canola oil to our alt-milk. Why is this important? Just one serving size of oat milk with rapeseed (i.e. canola oil) is the equivalent of ingesting about the same amount of oil used in frying a medium order of fries. Yikes. On average, Táche has significantly less calories, carbs, and sugar than most oat milk options, as well.
FB: How are you approaching customer education around pistachio milk and familiarizing people with the concept?
RS: With my years of experience in running my own creative agency, Rx Social, I knew that I wanted to bring on teams to be completely dedicated to promoting the business and utilize my own network as much as I possibly could. Pre-launch, we’ve primarily promoted Táche via digital marketing, PR, and discoverability through coffee shops and retailers in New York City. We’re already seeing an influx of customers reaching out to us on social media asking how they can order Táche after trying it at their local coffee shop, so we’re very excited to double down on organic social and continue trialing the product via sampling, retail opportunities and more.
FB: Did you have any reservations about launching the brand during a global pandemic?
RS: I think that if Táche was set to launch earlier this year, we would have revisited our launch plan due to all of the unknown. Now that we are months into this global pandemic, we have all adjusted to this new normal and have realized that life, and business, must go on to the best of our ability. If the pandemic has affected our launch in any way, it’s that more consumers are purchasing shelf-stable products and enjoying meals and a great cup of coffee at home. Since our manufacturing and supply chain operations were solidified long before COVID-19, we are in a great place to meet consumer demand and keep our specialty accounts stocked.
FB: What influence does being a female, minority founded and family-run brand have on the company’s culture?
RS: This month, our country elected the first female, first black and first South Asian Vice President-Elect to the White House, which feels auspicious for us as a brand. As part of our ethos as a female-founded and led company, we’re excited to be donating a portion of our profits to support education and entrepreneurship for girls and young women in our community. We partnered with The Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York City as our nonprofit partner in our mission to foster girls’ education and provide them with the mentorship, tools, and support they need to become healthy, successful women. 2020 has been tough on everyone, but we feel tremendously optimistic knowing we are going to have our first female Vice President in office next year.
FB: How have you approached team building and making those first key hires?
RS: Considering my father’s entrepreneurial track record and my own experience building brands via my agency, we were able to come together quite seamlessly. While bringing on your father as a co-founder isn’t the most conventional way to start a business, I have such an immense level of trust and support that I feel would be hard to find with any other business partner. My advice is to not rush into any co-founder relationship. The old adage is true, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is! The team at Táche is myself as the CEO, my father who is the COO, and my fiancé who is our Chief Business Development Officer. We plan to expand starting in early 2021 and are looking forward to growing the team.
FB: What excites you most about Táche?
RS: I’m most excited to show today’s consumers that pistachios are an incredible ingredient that has been largely untapped and a nut that’s versatility can make your everyday go-to’s and recipes even more delicious. What’s been surprising is how many U.S. consumers already have such a fervent affinity for pistachios. The response has been overwhelming! Yet, thus far, pistachios have been highly underutilized in this market. Building Táche has been a true passion project, one that has allowed me to truly embrace family traditions during trying times, and I couldn’t be more proud of the final product.
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