Starbucks will be adding its third non-dairy option to its American stores at the beginning of next month.
According to a news release issued by the coffee giant: “On My Starbucks Idea, the company’s platform for crowdsourcing customer and barista suggestions, thousands of ideas are submitted and voted on each year. Next month, one of the site’s top customer product requests is arriving in Starbucks stores.
“Starting September 6, Starbucks Almond milk will be available in more than 4,600 stores as a non-dairy alternative, in addition to soymilk and coconut milk. Almond milk will initially be available in company-operated and -licensed stores in the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, New York, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, kicking off a nationwide rollout that will be complete by the end of September. It will be available for use in Starbucks handcrafted beverages, including hot or iced drinks and Frappuccino® blended beverages.”
Starbucks introduced its first non-dairy milk alternative in 2004 with the launch of soymilk, followed by coconut milk in February 2015. This summer Starbucks introduced the Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato, the first signature beverage recipe to use coconut milk.
Almond milk is sure to inspire other customizations from Starbucks customers who consider it their preferred non-dairy option. More than half (58 percent) of all U.S. adults consume non-dairy milk, and almond milk is the most popular option with 60 percent of the non-dairy market, according to Mintel Data, which tracks grocery shopping habits.
Yoke Wong, manager on Starbucks beverage R&D team, said: “We created our own almond milk recipe to complement our hot, iced and Frappuccino® blended beverages. was designed so that when steamed, it creates a rich foam for hot beverages and is delicious and creamy when served in cold beverages.
“The almond butter in our almond milk adds body and complements the roasty notes of espresso. Because it’s unflavored, customers can customize to their taste preferences.”