Published by To …
Two locations with coffee in a blue bottle are now testing oat milk as their default beverage. If the test proves successful, and this approach is extended to the other nearly 100 chain stores around the world, Blue Bottle could become the first major chain to offer oat milk as a standard. no additional costs… This decision was made in response to the popularity of oat milk – many customers already prefer the creamy, allergen-safe option to cow’s milk. Test stores include N. Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles and one in Jackson Square in San Francisco.
It makes sense to offer oat milk as a standard, as it is a choice that helps animals and the environment. and most customers prefer it anyway. The Blue Bottle test reveals that a significant portion of the population is vegan, lactose intolerant, or allergic to cow’s milk (since it is not intended for human consumption in the first place!). Oat milk is non-allergic and gluten-free, and allergies to oats are far less common than dairy allergies. Using oat milk by default also reduces or even eliminates the chances of a vegan or allergy sufferer accidentally serving cow’s milk.
Many people choose vegan milk because they know what cows are going through in the dairy industry. Cows produce milk to feed their babies, but in the dairy industry they are constantly fertilized so that they can continue to give milk even after their young have been stolen. These loving mothers are hooked up to painful milking machines and are often pumped with hormones and antibiotics, and their lives are cut short when they stop producing enough. Most of them die after about five years, which is only a small fraction of their natural lifespan of 20 years.
The dairy industry is also a major contributor to the climate crisis – one cow emits more greenhouse gases than a regular car or light truck. Cow dung in today’s dairy farms poisons our waterways and drinking water. Blue Bottle demonstrates that it is ready to take real action to achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2024, unlike Starbucks, which claims to be working to become greener but yet charging a surcharge of up to 80 cents for vegan milk. Why should customers be punished for making responsible choices that are better for animals and the environment?
While many coffee chains, including Panera Bread, Pret A Manger and Stumptown Coffee Roasters, have lowered their vegan milk premium, Blue Bottle was the first to take it one step further. Hopefully other networks will follow suit. In the meantime, grab a coffee from Blue Bottle and keep the pressure on Starbucks by taking action today:
Ask Starbucks to Stop the Vegan Milk Surcharge