Alpro unveils its first-ever nut-based drinks

Alpro is moving beyond soya for the first time with the launch of an almond and a hazelnut milk - as its American owner Dean Foods attempts to reposition it as a supplier of “plant-based food” instead of a soya-focused company.

The milks, which are made from nut extract and spring water, go on sale in the UK mults in February.

The almond milk will be marketed as an all-round milk for use in tea or with cereal, while the hazelnut variant will be positioned as a flavoured milk. They will be available in chilled and UHT formats, £1.79 and £1.59 respectively for a one-litre carton.

Their launch will be accompanied by an overhaul of the Alpro logo that sees the word ‘soya’ replaced by ‘enjoy plant power’ and the image of a soya bean replaced with one of the sun.

Alpro said it hoped to double the size of the plant based dairy-free category over the next five years, both through new soya NPD and the expansion into non-soya based products. At present, the market is worth £107.5m [Nielsen 52w/e 29 October 2011, multiple retail sales].

“It’s time to be more positive about the dairy free sector,” said commercial director John Allaway. “We don’t just offer people an alternative to dairy. Our customers are shopping the fixture because they are making a positive lifestyle choice.”

Allaway admitted that Alpro’s soya milk sales were likely to be cannibalised to an extent but maintained that most growth would be incremental.

The launches are part of a wider NPD push for the brand in 2012. This month, Alpro is introducing a new Fruity & Creamy soya yoghurt described by Allaway as having a “best in class soya yoghurt taste that gives us a genuinely indulgent product offering in this category for the first time”. The yoghurt comes in peach and cherry flavours (rsp: £1.09).

Alpro is supporting the NPD with its biggest-ever marketing campaign, which will include a TV ad airing from February to June as well as press, outdoor and online activity.