Trader Joe’s now has a vegan milk chocolate bar.
The new “Organic Almond Beverage Chocolate Bar” is made with almond milk, a blend of almond flour and water. The ingredients are otherwise identical to a dairy milk chocolate bar: cocoa butter, sugar, and cocoa beans. It also has a smooth, creamy texture.
In February, the grocery chain revealed the news on episode 21 of its podcast “Inside Trader Joe’s,” hosted by the chain’s director of words, phrases, and clauses Tara Miller and Matt Sloan, the vice president of marketing.
In conversation with Alison Nadler Guerette—Trader Joe’s category manager for candy, cookies, and cereal—Miller brought up the vegan milk chocolate bar. At the time, the chain’s tasting panel had approved the new product.
“But I wouldn’t have known the difference if I hadn’t been told,” Miller said. “It just tasted like really good creamy milk chocolate.”
She added, “I feel like our vegan customers are going to absolutely flip for that particular product.”
According to Nadler Guerette, the bar was created in response to consumer demand. “Our customers are asking for vegan items,” she said.
Rising Demand For Vegan Food
Trader Joe’s has somewhat of a cult following, both for its prices and the constant cycle of new, seasonal products. Its recent product launches include not only the almond milk chocolate bar, but also Non-Dairy Maple Oat Beverage, Vegan Caesar Dressing, Strawberry Non-Dairy Oat Frozen Dessert, and Cheese-Less Cheesecakes.
Moving into the holidays (how is it already almost that time of year?), we can most likely expect to see the return of Trader Joe’s turkey-free roast and vegan seasonal sides. The chain has yet to take on a vegan seasonal dessert (though several of the baking mixes are vegan; just swap eggs with flax eggs), but with dairy-free chocolate bars and cheesecakes on offer, maybe this year we can feel hopeful about vegan pumpkin pie.
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