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Drive-through coffee chain Dutch Bros has ended its surcharge for vegan milk following pressure from animal rights charity PETA.
In a statement, PETA said it had “urged the top brass” at Dutch Bros to end its “unfair” additional charge for dairy-free milk options. The charity highlighted that dairy is a major contributor to the climate crisis and extreme weather events like California’s wildfires.
“Dutch Bros knows how to perk up kind coffee lovers,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Dutch Bros has ended the upcharge on vegan milks – a move that helps leave mother cows and their calves in peace, reduces the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, earns a whole latte love from PETA and conscientious consumers, and sets an example for holdouts like Dunkin’ and Peet’s to follow.”
Dutch Bros offers oat, almond, and coconut milk, but discontinued soy in 2021. The company also offers vegan drinks like 2021’s Oat Milk Kicker, the Iced Oat Annihilator, Cinnamon Swirl Oat Milk Latte, and typical coffee options like espresso and cold brew.
Until now, Dutch Bros charged an additional USD $0.50 per drink for vegan milk.
Read more: Could ‘Beanless’ Coffee Be The Future?
Campaign calls on US coffee shops to drop dairy-free surcharge
While many mainstream cafes and coffee shops now offer plant-based milk for free, others still charge a small additional fee to cover the additional costs of ordering so-called specialized inventory like dairy-free milk. However, this negatively impacts people with lactose intolerance and dairy allergies as well as vegans.
Campaign group No Milk Tax published a report earlier this month that detailed which US coffee chains still charge extra for dairy-free milk. The report also listed the chains that have already chosen to scrap the surcharge, including Pret, Panera, and most recently, Starbucks.
