The Return of “Got Milk?”

If you grew up in the ’90s, you remember the billboards. Michael Jordan with a milk mustache. Serena Williams mid-swing. Destiny’s Child at the height of their power. For decades, “Got Milk?” was one of the most successful ad campaigns in American history.

But here we are in 2025 — and milk needs saving.

Sales of traditional dairy milk have been in steady decline for years. More consumers are turning to plant-based alternatives, lactose-free options, and “value-added” products like protein-enriched shakes. The new Got Milk? campaign reflects this shift — it’s less about plain milk in a glass, and more about oat, almond, soy, whey, and fortified blends.

That pivot isn’t just marketing. It’s an opening — and the Black community has every reason to step into it. 

Why Milk Fell Out of Favor

Health realities. Roughly 70–80% of Black Americans are lactose intolerant, compared to 36% of the overall U.S. population. That’s not “preference” — it’s biology. As people learned more about how dairy affects digestion, acne, and cholesterol, consumption dropped.

Cultural shifts. Millennials and Gen Z — the biggest consumer cohorts today — are far more open to plant-based diets. Environmental concerns, animal welfare, and “clean label” eating have reshaped the food landscape.

Market fragmentation. The dairy aisle isn’t just whole, 2%, and skim anymore. It’s a battle of brands offering “extra protein,” “low sugar,” “oat-based,” “organic,” “grass-fed,” or “nutrient-enhanced.” In short: plain milk is out, premium differentiation is in.

The Black Economic Opportunity

That reality is why the new Got Milk? campaign matters. It signals where the market is going: not back to basics, but forward to premium, value-added categories.

The Black community is uniquely positioned here — not just as consumers, but as producers. And the proof of concept already exists:

• Ghost Town Oats (Chicago) – oat milk founded by Black entrepreneurs, already moving into cafes nationwide.

• Pecan Milk Co-Op (Atlanta) – community-owned, tapping into Southern agricultural roots.

• Misha’s (Los Angeles) – plant-based cheeses blending flavor with heritage.

• Milk & Honey (artisan dairy) – cultural branding around tradition and quality.

• Edenesque (New York) – high-end plant-based milks already stocked in Whole Foods.

These companies are building the future. The question is whether we scale them into an ecosystem — or let someone else buy them out.

Building the Chain of Distribution

Ownership isn’t just about a brand. It’s about infrastructure.

The dairy value chain, simplified:

1. Primary Producers (Farmers): Cattle owners, nut farmers, grain growers — the raw input suppliers.

2. Processors/Suppliers: Facilities that receive raw milk or plant inputs and process them into usable materials.

3. Manufacturers: Companies that turn inputs into products — from bottled oat milk to protein powders and cheeses.

4. Distributors & Retailers: Grocery stores, co-ops, online platforms, and wholesalers that connect products to consumers.

Right now, Black ownership in this chain is concentrated at the end — brand and retail. The opportunity is to expand upstream, into farming, processing, and logistics. Because whoever controls the inputs controls the economics.

Beyond Milk: Spin-Off Industries

The dairy and alt-dairy space isn’t limited to what’s in your cereal bowl. It feeds into a network of industries that are equally valuable:

• Athletic & Performance Nutrition: Whey protein powders, muscle milk, recovery shakes.

• Transportation & Cold Chain Logistics: Delivery and storage infrastructure — the arteries of the food economy.

• Flavorings & Syrups: Chocolate, caramel, hazelnut — high-margin, small-input products.

• Skincare & Cosmetics: Creams, soaps, lotions — from dairy-based to plant-based blends.

• Haircare: Specialized formulations where natural and dairy-derived products meet cultural demand.

This is what economists call adjacent market expansion: start with one input, and build entire industries around it.

The Competitive Edge: Owning Raw Materials

Imagine this difference:

• A community of entrepreneurs launching oat milk brands but still buying oats from someone else’s farm.

• Versus that same community owning the farms, the processing plants, and the logistics.

In the first case, we’re renters in someone else’s system. In the second, we set the price.

The future of wealth in dairy — and alt-dairy — lies in upstream ownership. If we don’t just sell the carton but also own the oat field, the trucking route, and the bottling line, we capture every layer of profit.

A Roadmap for Black Ownership

This isn’t abstract. It’s a strategy:

1. Cooperatives: Pool Black farmers, nut growers, and dairy/alt-dairy entrepreneurs into shared ventures.

2. Incubators: Launch funds that invest specifically in food-tech and alt-dairy startups led by Black founders.

3. Policy & Advocacy: Secure agricultural grants, USDA programs, and small-farm subsidies to scale operations.

4. Vertical Integration: Build systems where one Black-owned enterprise feeds into another (farm → processor → brand → retailer).

5. Branding Power: Leverage cultural influence to make Black-owned dairy and alt-dairy the preferred choice, not just an option.

Conclusion: More Than Milk

The milk wars aren’t about a glass of milk anymore. They’re about control of an evolving industry that touches health, culture, logistics, and beauty.

The Black community has always been a force in shaping culture. The challenge — and opportunity — is to also shape supply chains.

Because the real question isn’t “Got Milk?”
It’s: “Got Ownership?”