Alpro Just Launched New Vegan Oat and Coconut Greek Yogurts

Dairy-free brand Alpro has just expanded its range with new Greek-style vegan yogurts, launching two new oat and coconut-based varieties. The expansion comes as plant-based dairy becomes increasingly popular with mainstream consumers, with oat-based alternatives a particularly fast-growing category. 

Plant-based dairy brand Alpro has just extended its lineup with new greek-style vegan yogurts. There are two varieties, Alpro Greek Style Coconut and Greek Style Oat, both designed to mimic the creamy and rich taste of traditional dairy-based Greek yogurts. Both have no added sugars, and contain calcium, vitamins D and B12, and are rich in fibre.

Alt-yogurt: the next big category 

Alpro’s move to expand its range of yogurt alternatives comes as demand for dairy-free products reaches an all-time high. While mainstream consumers had been gradually shifting away from dairy for years, the pandemic has accelerated the trend even further. 

On a recent vegan trend insight panel, experts said that vegan milk was the most popular plant-based grocery item now being ordered on food delivery platforms. But while milk remains the dominant alt-dairy category, other dairy alternative products are quickly becoming a hit too—yogurt being one of them. 

Within the U.S., dairy-free yogurt, butter, and cheese categories together reached US$2 billion in value in 2020, a sector not to be dismissed in the country’s overall US$7 billion plant-based retail market. Plant-based yogurt in particular grew at 7-times the rate of its dairy-based counterparts. 

Alpro’s use of oats as the base ingredient is also banking on another alt-dairy trend. Oats have become increasingly popular as an alternative to soy, almonds, cashews, and coconuts in vegan dairy products like milk, perhaps the most famous example being Oatly. Newly public food tech Oatly’s sales recorded triple-digit growth last year. 

Danone’s vegan bet

Eyeing the opportunity, Alpro’s move is part of its parent company Danone’s big bet on the plant-based market. 

Last year, Danone announced the creation of a new Plant-Based Acceleration Unit to meet its ambitions to double its plant-based sales globally from just over US$2.1 billion in 2019 to US$5.4 billion by 2025. Since setting out the target, the corporation has ramped up its vegan portfolio, acquiring the legacy brand Follow Your Heart. 

Other plant-based brands that Danone has under its umbrella include Silk, So Delicious, and Vega, which came under ownership after the purchase of WhiteWave Foods in 2017. 

Lead image courtesy of Alpro / designed by Green Queen Media.