Danone Unveils New Plant-Based Line of Non-Dairy Creamers
One of the last products given up on the path to a fully plant-based diet is dairy creamer. It can be difficult to let go of that creamy richness in your morning coffee, but food giant Danone is making it seamless with its new Honest to Goodness line of plant-based coffee creamers. The company unveiled the non-dairy coffee creamer on Monday, following the growing number of consumers that are now brewing their coffee at home in light of the pandemic. The parallel rise of both at-home coffee drinkers and plant-based consumers led Danone to invest in the dairy-free creamer market.
“We know that plant-based is a trend and it has amazing growth in the marketplace, and flexitarianism is on the rise,” Danone’s North American Vice President of marketing Olivia Sanchez said. “We see those shoppers wanting to lean into newer propositions and exploring what is in the plant-based set, and so Honest to Goodness is really designed for that consumer in mind.”
Danone claimed that Gen Z coffee drinkers down about 28 billion cups of coffee per year. On top of that, younger consumers lean towards more sustainable products. Millennials and Gen Z combined continue to concentrate their purchases in more eco-friendly markets. The company stated that 75 percent of millennials shop with the environment in mind, and with more plant-based alternatives hitting the market, Danone decided to strike while the iron is hot.
Beyond a focus on plant-based diets and sustainability, the company recognized that people have adopted new routines since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount of coffee consumed at home rapidly rose, and the demand for coffee creamers followed suit. “New routines mean Americans are drinking more of their coffee at home more than ever, but many are also returning to coffee shops around the country or plan to do so soon,” president and CEO of the National Coffee Association Bill Murray said.
The Honest to Goodness brand is teaming up with the environmental organization EarthDay.org. The joint effort aims to prompt sustainability to consumers by planting trees in Madagascar, helping the environment where Danone is sourcing the vanilla. The project will also engage with local communities as The Canopy Project in order to support the areas that allow for the new item’s production.
The new coffee creamer will arrive on shelves with three different flavors: Himalayan salted caramel, unsweetened Madagascan vanilla bean, and Madagascan vanilla bean. Shoppers can initially purchase the plant-based creamers on Amazon and via FreshDirect, and eventually in local grocery stores.
The Honest to Goodness brand is not the first of Danone’s plant-based products. The company also produces Silk soy milk, yogurt, and non-dairy items, So Delicious dairy-free desserts, and recently purchased Follow Your Heart, makers of Veganaise. With large food companies shifting focus to plant-based products, the number of options continues to rise, giving plant-based consumers and shoppers something to smile about.