Blue Diamond Growers to satiate increasing demand for Almond Milk in cafes and restaurants
Good news for health buffs and lactose intolerant coffee drinkers.
Blue Diamond Growers is set to launch Australia's first barista-formulated Almond Milk for cafes and the food service sector.
"We’ve had fantastic success in delivering Australian consumers with the great tasting and quality product of Almond Breeze for the last 2 years. We spoke with and listened to café owners and customers alike, and discovered a significant gap in the market with consumers increasingly requesting almond milk in their lattes and cappuccinos," said Roger Ringwood, country manager for Blue Diamond Growers.
Noting that the number of consumers shifting from dairy alternatives such as soy to almond milk has been significant over the past 12 months, with almond milk now accounting for 25% of all non-dairy milks sold today.
"Many cafés were already using Almond Breeze and through talking with them we realised there was further opportunity for ‘Almond Breeze Barista Blend’ - which is specifically formulated for use in coffee, delivering consumers with a quality milk alternative which complements coffee beans and has great froth and consistency," he added.
The product was developed for baristas with the support of Australian baristas. The barista-formulated Almond Milk is designed to work just like milk and other non-dairy alternatives, enabling cafés and other players in the food service category to tap into the consumer preference for almond milk.
"Blue Diamond, the parent company of Almond Breeze, is an almond company pure and simple. Working with almonds is in our area of expertise – it’s in our DNA. That means we really understand how almonds work and can complement other foods such as chocolate or in this case fine coffee," said Ringwood.
"The product is a great tasting option for consumers, with a range of important health properties, including being lactose free, low GI and low in calories and fat. With only 60 calories per serving, a coffee made with ‘Almond Breeze Barista Blend’ contains 30% less calories than a skim milk or regular soy coffee."
‘Almond Breeze Barista Blend’ will be sold into cafes and coffee shops via the food service arm of Sydney-based Freedom Foods, the licensee of the ‘Almond Breeze’ range of products in the Australian market. The product is conveniently packaged in 1 litre UHT and will be priced competitively with other non-dairy alternatives, including soy.
