Putting the Nut Back in Nut Mylk

Grocery stores are devoting more shelf space to alternative milk products such as almond milk, but unbeknownst to many shoppers, these “mylks” often contain very few actual nuts. Megan Wallace is the owner of NutMeg Mylk, a local company putting the nuts back in the mylk.

It all began when Wallace took a nut mylk-making course to satisfy her curiosity. She started to hand out samples to friends and family who had never tasted anything like it.

“When I started giving it away, I saw how excited they were about the mylks,” Wallace says. “I looked into if other businesses were doing it locally, and there weren’t really any options, so I decided to try it out and see where it goes.”

Like so many small business owners, Wallace started NutMeg Mylk as a side hustle. She’d work long hours in her real estate marketing job, and then she’d spend her evenings squeezing nut juice through a cheesecloth.

Wallace set a goal to make the mylk business her full- time job within a year and actually hit it three months early. Now her product is stocked in dozens of stores and has several creative flavours, such as The Provence, with lavender and honey; and The Indie, with turmeric, bee pollen and cinnamon. Most important, however: Every litre of mylk includes a cup of nuts.

“You’re getting the health benefits from the nuts, including protein, fibre, vitamins and lots of healthy fats,” Wallace says. “The health of them, the taste of them, is just a completely different experience.”

Wallace became vegan-curious at a young age. She was never one to tuck into a roast beef dinner and has never wanted to pour cream in her coffee and she’s not alone. More and more consumers are seeking an alternative to dairy milk and meat. Between 2017 and 2019, the plant-based mylk industry increased by 30 per cent in the U.S., and it’s projected to grow exponentially over the next five years.

Wallace also expects to expand in the next five years beyond B.C.’s provincial borders, but one of her biggest obstacles is shelf life. Fresh nut mylks don’t last long. However, Wallace has come up with a new process to solve that problem.

High-pressure processing uses an intense amount of pressure transmitted by water to cold-pasteurize the contents of a package after it’s sealed shut. It kills any micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, yeasts, moulds and parasites. Traditional pasteurization uses heat to kill any unwanted micro-organisms, but it also takes away from its nutritional value.

“We’ve been able to increase the shelf life without using gums, fillers and preservatives and non-food ingredients,” Wallace says. “It naturally pasteurizes it and extends shelf life to about five weeks.”

This technology is a game changer for Wallace as the extended shelf life means she can send her product out of province. It also helped bring down her price, which was another pain point.

Another challenge is getting federal approval to sell nationwide, which goes beyond having English and French labels. She may even have to change what she calls it.

“You have to get approval for things such as using the word ‘mylk,’” Wallace says. “The pushback from the dairy industry is pretty strong, so we’re trying to figure out what to call it.”

Wallace is hoping that something such as “nut beverage” has the same ring as “nut mylk.” Fortunately, she has had to jump through hoops before and is prepared to do it again.

“If someone tells you it’s smooth going, they are lying,” Wallace says with a laugh. “There are roadblocks and hurdles at every turn, but then there are wins, like a call from a retailer or some good feedback from a customer.”

Wallace is hoping to have NutMeg selling nationwide this year, and, if all goes to plan, a new flavour.

NutMeg Mylk
nutmegmylk.com | 604.603.3812 | @nutmegmylk