While plant-based milks are irrefutably better for the environment than their dairy counterparts, strict use-by dates and a hefty amount of packaging mean that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Enter, Ulu Hye, a Sydney-based company run by best friends Heidi, a sustainable business exec, and Vasia, a naturopath. Their plant-based nut mylk pastes come in reusable, recyclable jars and produce a whopping 10 litres of milk per jar. The best part? All you need is a spoon, water, a blender and a few seconds to combine. The result; fresh, homemade, creamy non-dairy milk that you didn’t have to slave over yourself, or send vast quantities of packaging to landfill for.
We caught up with the ladies behind Ulu Hye to get the lowdown on their game-changing product. Here’s what they had to say.
Q: How did the idea of Ulu Hye come to be? When, where and how did you notice the gap in the market?
A: The idea of a Nut Mylk Base came about after us both becoming very aware of the amount of waste we were contributing through using long life plant-based milk while we were both consciously trying to reduce the waste in our home. We noticed this in two ways; through the packaging and difficulty in recycling the cartons, and in sometimes not being able to consume a whole litre of milk in the recommended 3-4 days of opening and having to empty the contents down the sink.
We were both craving something to fill the gap that was there from either making it at home or purchasing it in 1-litre cartons at the store. We wanted to be able to have the best of both worlds; the healthiness of homemade milk using high-quality ingredients, whilst enjoying the convenience of having milk whenever we want without the process.
Q: Was the development process a long one? Were there any major hurdles to overcome?
A: Once we knew what we wanted to bring to market it did take us the better part of a year to have a ready-to-go product. There have definitely been hurdles; from national shortages on raw materials due to weather (drought and then flooding) to not being able to advertise our newest product, Hemp Mylk Base, due to advertising laws, to pallets of products that have gone missing through freight companies, there have been a few!
Once you jump a few hurdles you then gain trust that you have the capability to jump any and all that come up down the track. We have an unwritten rule that only one of us can have a mini-meltdown at a time – the other has to support and lift the other up!
Q: One of the huge drawcards of the mylk bases is the huge reduction of waste that comes with them. Why was sustainability such an important factor in developing these pastes?
A: We are becoming more and more aware of the damage we have done, and are doing, to the environment but unfortunately everyone wants to help save the world until it either costs them or is simply too hard.
We wanted to create our Mylk Bases to encourage and empower people to consciously take small steps, which ultimately lead to creating big change, in a simple, delicious and cost-effective way. Creating change has to begin somewhere and we decided that we could either sit back and hope that it will happen organically or we could get in there and give it the push it needed.
Q: What do you believe the health benefits of the two bases to be and how best should they be incorporated into someone’s diet?
A: Where do we begin! Our bases have been consciously created to be better for you AND better for the environment. We use only the highest quality ingredients and our Bases are gut-friendly, mineral-rich, free from anything artificial, no emulsifiers, gums, preservatives or nasties and have been holistically created to help stabilise blood sugar levels, helping you feel fuller for longer.
Our Hemp Mylk Base is a nut-free alternative, is low allergenic and a nutrient powerhouse that is a source of protein, essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Hemp is considered to be a whole food, where all the macronutrients are in perfect harmony. Both of our Bases can be used wherever you would normally use milk; smoothies, cereal, baking, white sauce, curries, coffee, and dare we say it—cocktails!
