Danone Canada redefines the plant-based category with Silk Nextmilk^™ – a new offering featuring a taste and texture so close to dairy, consumers won’t believe it’s plant-based

As the Canadian category leader, Silk Canada launches a new dairy-free beverage to provide consumers with added choice, especially for plant-curious dairy lovers

Toronto, ON and Boucherville, QC, May 18, 2022 — Today, Danone Canada has redefined the plant-based category by launching Nextmilk^™ under the Silk Canada brand – a new dairy-free beverage with a flavour profile and texture that is so tasty and creamy, consumers won’t believe it’s plant-based. As the leader in plant-based beverages in Canada, Silk’s Nextmilk^™ product offering will help dairy-loving consumers overcome plant-based barriers while prompting further choice.

“Over the past three decades, Danone Canada’s Silk brand has pioneered a plant-based revolution through its broad range of delicious and innovative consumer offerings,” says Jeremy Oxley, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Danone Canada. “However, despite all the extraordinary momentum in the category, 60 per cent of Canadians are reluctant to try plant-based beverages as they feel the taste differs too much from the products they’re used to . With Silk Nextmilk^™, we’ve been able to develop a product – made of a high-quality blend of plants – that delivers on the key taste and texture attributes of dairy milk that consumers know and love.”

With an array of consumer offerings in both the dairy and plant-based product categories, Danone holds a unique and unmatched position to understand, innovate and adapt to consumers’ evolving needs and preferences. During its robust research and innovation process to develop Silk Nextmilk^™, the company engaged its dairy experts to analyse the classic dairy drinking experience and design a specially formulated product that met dairy-lovers’ taste expectations. This included analysis of milk’s molecular composition and iconic sensory experience to ultimately reconstruct a plant-based product that mirrors the flavour profile and mouthfeel of dairy.

“Silk Nextmilk^™ is the result of two years of relentless and unwavering innovation, testing and creative application from Danone’s Research and Innovation team which has unparalleled expertise in both dairy and plant-based beverages,” says Pierre Morin, Vice President of Research and Innovation at Danone Canada. “During the recipe development process, we thoroughly studied the beloved dairy taste attributes and engaged in robust testing, trying out hundreds of high-quality plant-based ingredient pairings to best recreate the taste of dairy. What we have been able to achieve is a versatile product that most closely mimics the taste of dairy milk so that whether consumers want to enjoy it in their coffee, with their cereal, or in recipes, plant-curious dairy lovers can easily add it to their shopping list.”

Silk Nextmilk^™ is now available in the refrigerated section at major retailers nationwide. Silk Nextmilk^™ is an excellent source of vitamin B12 and riboflavin, a good source of calcium, and a source of vitamin D, vitamin A, zinc and fibre. It contains 3 g of sugar per 250 mL and is a non-GMO Project verified product. It is free from lactose, gluten, carrageenan and artificial colours and flavours.

To find out more about Silk Nextmilk^™, visit SilkCanada.ca and follow @silk_canada on Instagram and @SilkCanada on Facebook.

¹ Source: Sklar Wilton & Associates, Usage & Attitude, Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives, Canada, 2021.

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About Danone Canada
Danone Canada is a business unit of Danone and operates from head offices in Toronto, Ontario and Boucherville, Quebec. Danone Canada is the country’s largest consumer-facing Certified B Corporation^®, demonstrating that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Danone Canada’s ambition is to bring Canadians healthful dairy, plant-based products and beverages, coffee creamers, and create economic and social value. Its portfolio of brands includes Activia^®, Silk^® plant-based foods and beverages, Oikos^®, Danone^®, So Delicious^® Dairy Free, Stok^TM, DanActive^®, International Delight^® and more.

For more information about Danone Canada, visit danone.ca, Facebook (@danonecanada), Twitter (@DanoneCanada) or LinkedIn.

For more information contact:
Samantha Krupa-Carbone, NATIONAL Public Relations, skrupa-carbone@national.ca