Starbucks to offer coconut milk as dairy alternative

The company said it received 84,000 customer requests for a non-dairy alternative. (AP)

You asked for it, and you got it.

Beginning Feb. 17, coconut milk will be available nationwide at Starbucks stores.

In the second-largest Starbucks request of all time, Starbucks said it received 84,000 customer requests for a non-dairy alternative to dairy and soy through their suggestion website, the company said in a press release.

“Delivering the options our customers want is always the highlight of my day,” said Christine Barone, Starbucks vice president.

The coconut milk option will cost you an extra 60 cents.  However, that's the same as the cost of using soy milk in your coffees and teas.

The company tested out coconut milk in certain store locations last October, before deciding to incorporate it into the permanent menu. Starbucks product innovators took the idea of using the milk alternative to the kitchen, researching and developing recipes for classic drinks made with coconut milk, before the February announcement.

Starbucks Single Origin Coconut Milk, the official brand the company will use, is certified vegan and sourced from coconuts grown on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The move from the world’s biggest coffee chain also comes as smaller rivals such as Peet’s Coffee and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf also offer non-soy dairy milk alternatives.

So are people frothing at the mouth to get a sip?  Here’s a look at some of the feedback so far: