MiLB’s Newest Team, The Malmö Oat Milkers, to Play in South Bend

The South Bend Cubs will play as The Malmö Oat Milkers on Tuesday, June 18, as part of MiLB’s 121st team brought to the league by Oatly, an oatmilk company – yes, you read that right.

June 11, 2024

SOUTH BEND, IN – June 12, 2024 – This Tuesday, June 18 The Malmö Oat Milkers are coming to South Bend, Indiana, but they’ll have some familiar faces. Your hometown South Bend Cubs will play as the Oat Milkers, Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™)’s newest team brought to the league by

Questions such as “the Malmö whats?” “how do I even pronounce that?” and/or “what is oatmilk?” as well as statements including “I don’t get it, and I just want to watch some South Bend Cubs baseball” are appropriate and, frankly, not shocking. Luckily, the Oatly public relations department shared some answers with us, which admittedly could bring either more clarity or more confusion to this situation.

Announced during MLB Tonight’s March 27 evening broadcast, the introduction of The Malmö Oat Milkers to the league is part of Oatly’s ongoing multi-year partnership with MiLB as the first-ever national plant-based, non-dairy sponsor, and pays homage to Oatly’s home city of Malmö, Sweden.

All of MiLB’s already existing 120 teams are each playing one game this season as the Oat Milkers, including the South Bend Cubs on Tuesday, June 18 – making the Oat Milkers more than just the 121^st team of MiLB, but also an occasion for our local players to wear non-generic, but also non-outlandish pink accented jerseys for nine entire innings. Fans are under no obligation to wear Oat Milkers’ gear, but we’re told Oatly – the corporate sponsors – would love that.

South Bend Cubs fans can expect an unforgettable Oat Milker game experience, including a new first-pitch ritual, trivia, a chance to “sign a contract to be an Oat Milker for a day,” and more.

While now primarily known for “assuming the identity of a MiLB team,” Oatly also makes a delicious range of oat-based, non-dairy milk alternatives that offer the same creamy taste, frothy feel, and functionality as cow’s milk, while generally having a lower environmental impact¹.

Gates for June 18 Oat Milkers game open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here. For more information on The Malmö Oat Milkers inaugural season and the team’s full schedule, please visit milb.com/oatmilkers. To learn more about Oatly, visit oatly.com

About the South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs are the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Over the past 35 seasons, the team has won five Midwest League titles, most recently in 2022, and captured nine division titles. In 2023, the organization was selected as the Single-A Bob Freitas Award recipient by Baseball America. Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs, was voted Best High-A ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest in 2022 and 2023, having also won the award as a Low-A ballpark in 2017. In 2019, the South Bend Cubs hosted the final Midwest League All-Star Game. In 2015 the team was named Ballpark Digest's Team of the Year and received the John H. Johnson President's Award, the highest award in minor league baseball. The team is owned and operated by Swing-Batter-Swing, LLC whose principal shareholder is Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, Ill.

About Oatly

We are the world’s original and largest oat drink company. For over 30 years, we have exclusively focused on developing expertise around oats: a global power crop with inherent properties suited for sustainability and human health. Our commitment to oats has resulted in core technical advancements that enabled us to unlock the breadth of the dairy portfolio, including alternatives to milks, ice cream, yogurt, cooking creams, spreads and on-the-go drinks. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, the Oatly brand is available in more than 20 countries globally.

Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992.