Premium chocolate drink Chocomel has announced the launch of a new plant-based variant in January 2023, coinciding with the Veganuary campaign, across the grocery and convenience channels.
Chocomel Plant-Based, with an exclusive cashew nut and pea milk formulation, offers the same chocolatey richness as the original and has been rated as 93 per cent positive in advance taste tests, with 48 per cent unable to fault the product at all, beating current market leaders in a blind test, the brand said.
The premium milk drinks category has grown by 51 per cent year on year [IRI, 52 w/e 01.01.22], and Chocomel is driving forward well ahead of the category with a growth rate of 81 per cent and sales of £6.9 million.
The brand said a core element of this growth has been the new users, adding that the new launch will drive awareness even further.
Alongside the growth of the move towards ‘better for you diets’, recent research suggests that 32 per cent [Mintel, 2021] of UK consumers are regularly enjoying plant-based milks and that this growth is expected to continue over coming years.
“Delivering a plant-based product to the market is a big step forward in Chocomel’s development within the UK. Dairy remains a key pillar of our FrieslandCampina product offering, but we want to make sure that we meet – and exceed - the desire of many consumers who enjoy both dairy and non-dairy products,” Gabriella Sudall, Marketing Manager NPD (Chocomel) at FrieslandCampina UK, said.
“A 2021 YouGov survey found that 3 per cent of people in the UK are vegan and this is currently on the rise. For Chocomel Plant-Based, it was vital to get the thick and creamy texture as close to the original as possible. Our technical team has worked tirelessly to ensure we are able to re-create Chocomel’s famous velvety and chocolatey taste, and we’ve been genuinely delighted with the results - and so have our shoppers.
“The January launch is also the perfect occasion to try Chocomel Plant-Based as a warm serve for a comforting, delicious hot chocolate-style treat – a serve beloved in the Netherlands since 1936!”
Chocomel Plant-Based will be available in a 1 litre tetra pack – a format ideal for sharing which has proved a huge success when launched for Chocomel original in the grocery channel this year.
Jo Taylorson