Upright: A Day in The Life at an Oat Milk Startup
It’s been a busy summer at Upright! We’re an early-stage consumer goods startup on a mission to make delicious foods that are better for people, and our planet — starting with our high-protein instant oat milk.
As one of the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale’s Summer Fellowship teams, we’ve been hustling away. Today, we want to share what a day in the life looks like for us as a startup.
But first, why instant oat milk?
The problem is that milk is a staple, but current options aren’t great.
Dairy is a dietary staple, but it can be tough on our bodies and our planet. Two-thirds of people are lactose-intolerant and cows contribute to nearly 10% of annual global greenhouse gases.
Plant-based milks exist, but they force trade-offs. Alternatives often lack key nutrients, contain allergens, and take a toll on the environment (just one cup of almond milk uses 90 liters of water!).
Our solution? Upright. Oat milk as nutritious as dairy, without the cow.
Upright creates plant-based goods to nourish our world. Our first product is a category-defining high-protein, allergen-free instant oat milk in three creamy, delicious flavors: original, vanilla, and chocolate.
Each tasty cup of Upright Oatmilk packs the same key nutrients as dairy, without the unwanted allergens or environmental impact. Ready whenever and wherever you want it: just add water!
Here’s what a day at Upright looks like for our team:
8:30AM — Breakfast and coffee, with Upright Instant Oatmilk stirred in. Catch up on the news and the latest in the world of oat milk.
9:00AM — Review emails and plan out the day ahead.
10:00AM — Reply to social media, investor, and customer messages.
11:00AM — Meet a team member to review progress and problem solve current challenges.
12:00PM — Break for lunch.
1:00PM — Meet virtually with our packaging supplier and co-packaging partner to live test packaging materials on their machines to confirm sizing and suitability.
1:45PM — Meet with our third-party logistics partner to discuss our latest projections and plan for our upcoming shipment.
2:30PM — Update financial model and cost projections based on most current information.
3:00PM — Receive mail, which includes the latest product formulations from our R&D team. COVID-19 has forced us to work remotely, meaning we’ve had to iterate on our recipes by snail mail. Mix the Instant Oatmilk products with water, and rope in nearby family members and neighbors to taste test.
4:00PM — Meet with another founder in the consumer goods space to ask for advice and learn from their experiences.
5:00PM — Reply to social media, investor, and customer messages.
6:00PM — All hands team meeting. This summer, our team members are scattered across multiple time zones on the West Coast, East Coast, and in Asia, so this is the best time to get together as a team.
7:00PM — Break for dinner.
8:30PM — Try out a new brownie mix recipe from our friends at Kelewele using our Instant Oatmilk as a substitute for dairy. Photograph for the ‘gram and taste test (delicious, as expected).
…just another day in the life of an oat milk startup!
Check us out by going to our website at uprightoats.com or learn about how you can invest at republic.co/upright.
