A few weeks ago, MiLB had officially announced a partnership with Oatly, a non-dairy based brand, to field a new team for the 2024 season and beyond, the Malmo Oat Milkers.
Malmo, which is the location to which Oatly was founded on, is a Sweedish town that will be represented all season long in partnership with the MLB, as all 120 MiLB teams will wear special jerseys and hats, exclusive to the Oat Milkers branding.
Technically, the Oat Milkers are not an official Minor League team, more so an identity that will be represented amongst the entire league. However, the MiLB is representing it as its own entity.
The uniforms feature a black, pink and white color palette, similar to the Oatly brand colors, featuring the team name across the front of the uniform with a classic font.
The back of the jersey will just say the name “baseball player,” in reference to the many different teams/players the identity will be represented by.
The hat is all black with pink lettering creating the initials “OM” for Oat Milkers.
Teams around the minor leagues will also be embracing the one night identity by featuring Oatly inspired activities and concessions items, according to MiLB.com, and potential other interactive activities revolving the dairy-free branded team identity.
The debut game for the Oat Milkers will be Friday, April 12th, when they take on the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (ironically).
The Albuquerque Isotopes will be the first team to dawn the get up and teams their after will follow suit till the final game on Friday, September 6th, when the St. Paul Saints take the field as the Oat Milkers one final time.
My Thoughts
My initial feelings on this concept are neutral.
Minor League Baseball is synonymous with food-related identities and this is just the tip of the ice of what the Minors has seen over the years.
I enjoy the concept of a branded identity for team’s to field. Some teams in MiLB do not have alternate identities, giving teams a opportunity to try something new with this venture.
The only downfall is that it is not related to the hometown of any of the 120 official MiLB teams.
The Malmo Oat Milkers brand is obviously more driven towards the history and story of the brand, Oatly. However, fans may not feel that same connection when seeing their team wearing the get up on the field for a game.
If you are a fan of the product(s) they offer, you may be more inclined to support this idea, but the connection the brand has with the other 120 teams is not there.
Nevertheless, it is still a unique concept.
This is the only league I can think of that offers a unique branding opportunity such as this that incorporates all of its teams in the league.
It may be a risky move, but it has the capability to be very creative for teams.
