Dairy Alternates
26 January 2010 Â www.specialty-coffee.com S ubstituting dairy alternates for the distinctive rich taste of cow's milk in espresso drinks was once considered compromising quality. But to thousands of consumers with lactose intolerance, allergic reactions and concern over calories, o ering dairy alternates is evidence of a quality retail operation. In the past ve years, the desire to accommodate allergy su erers has evolved into an expansive line of dairy alternates cra ed to both enhance beverage taste and increase its health bene ts. We have always carried soy and we are going through more soy now than we did 16 years ago, says U.S. Barista Champion Heather Perry, at in Upland, Calif., adding that Klatch Co ee & Roasting soy still only makes up 5 percent of milk used in the shop. People ask for soy because they are vegan or lactose intolerant, she says. Real innovation in cra ing signature beverages with soy, hemp milk, oat milk, almond, rice and even hazelnut milk marks a departure from the days when baristas treated these options as poor substitutes for the creamy froth of steamed milk. Formulations no longer rely on excessive sugar and vanilla to mask the beany taste of soy or nutty taste of nut milks, says Patrick Gabrish, director of foodservice sales at .Paci c Natural Foods Soy holds more than a 70-percent market share among dairy alternates followed by rice. Paci c o ers a broad array of dairy-alternates including all those listed above. Soy is the rst choice of chains but independents are increasingly open to experimenting with almond, hemp and even oat milk, he says. To encourage baristas to stretch their culinary and co ee-drink making skills, Paci c Naturals is sponsoring a contest at the March Co ee Fest using its Barista Series Soy BlendersTM Frappe and Smoothie Base soy products in both hot and cold drink categories. Soy remains popular in the specialty co ee segment even though overall demand has declined somewhat in grocery and restaurants, he says. Demand is way up for customers like Peet's Co ee & Tea which operates 130 shops, he says. PRICING Operators typically add 50 cents for soy on top of the 25 to 30 cents built into their pricing for milk. Soy cartons selling for $1.37 add 45 cents (three servings per carton, 12 aseptic cartons per case). Rice milk adds 40 cents per serving. Baristas are starting to do something with hemp but it's expensive, about $21.60 per case compared to $16.50 for soy, says Gabrish. at works out to 60 to 65 cents per serving based on a $1.80 carton. Organic milk sells at a comparable premium. In New York, the trend is to change an additional 10 cents for every espresso drink and not charge additional for soy or rice milk, says Gabrish. TRENDS: ALMOND AND HEMP MILK Almond milk is growing very rapidly (32 percent per year) due to its health bene ts and a big marketing e ort for Almond Breeze by nut cooperative, says Gabrish.Blue Diamond Growers Almond is what operators should have their eye on, he says. Anticipating that consumer interest will in uence foodservice demand, Paci c Naturals is developing limited-time o ers and summer drinks based on almond milk, he said. College students are driving sales, he says, almond and hemp milk are something that Millennials will buy. e market for hemp milk is $10 million, almost all of BY DAN BOLTON Formulations no longer rely on sugar or vanilla to hide the underlying taste. ts in both hot and cold drink catego