As the plant based food trend continues to grow, global food giant Nestle wants to join in. Their popular Nescafe Gold brand is introducing a new vegan line of frothy coffee beverages. It is currently being sold exclusively in Tesco, but will soon expand into the UK and Ireland and beyond. Flavors include almond, coconut, and oat, all of which are certified by the Vegan Society. All flavors are dairy free, which makes them suitable for many diets, not just those consumers who are strictly vegan. The vegan options will join the existing list of 17 other Nescafe Gold frothy instant coffee products. The new dairy free options are being sold in packages of six.
Interest in plant based foods is growing and many manufacturers are scrambling to incorporate these into their beverage lines. Nescafe is the first to offer a vegan option into prepared frothy coffee drinks. Many producers are interested in expanding the drink and beverage market overall. Coffee beverages are a hot trending market for Nestle and others. Adding vegan options into the mix is just the beginning; look for more companies to offer these options in the future. Nescafe has offered water soluble coffee beverages since 1938, and now they are fully embracing the vegan market. They aim to bring new consumers into their daily coffee routine.
Vegans and vegetarians are certain to celebrate their new options. Other consumers may be willing to try plant based dairy alternatives in addition to their regular routine. Nescafe is making vegan more mainstream. They are the first to offer a soluble coffee made solely with plant based ingredients. They are hoping to bring the dairy free coffee trend “out of the coffee shop and into the home,” as stated by Neil Stephens, Head of the Nescafé business in the UK and Ireland. The new flavors are marketed with the slogan, “A delicious alternative to dairy.” Many lactose intolerant consumers, or people who want to reduce their dairy consumption for health or sustainability reasons, could be drawn to this product, not just vegetarians and vegans.
More companies are starting to produce a variety of plant based beverages and dairy alternative drinks, and the coffee market is part of this broader trend. Nescafe is looking for new ways to bring their products into consumers’ homes. By offering new plant based drinks they can aim to capture the trend in a fresh market. Being the first to offer such drinks gives them a chance to have “first mover advantage” in the dairy alternative coffee market.
The dairy free trend is an alternative to traditional beverages that is showing strong demand. Overall, healthy living and healthy eating is the biggest trend in the entire market. Many consumers are looking to live healthier by increasing their plant based diet. Nestle is trending strongly in the new healthy market, and their Nescafe drinks are only one of many new plant based products being developed and released. Plant based products are more than just traditional veggie burgers; plant based drinks are also on trend. Look for more companies to add similar products in the future.
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