Almond milk is now America’s favorite milk substitute, boasting sales growth of 250% over the past five years, according to Nielsen. While almond milk still accounts for just a fraction of the total milk market (about 5%), it brings in more than twice the revenue of the other substitutes combined.
So why is almond milk growth soaring? The uptrend in sales is likely the result of current health and wellness trends. Results from Nielsen’s “2015 Global Health and Wellness” survey show that consumers rated back-to-basics food attributes like “all natural,” “no artificial colors or flavors,” and “made from vegetables or fruits” the most important.
Dietary restrictions may also be playing a part in the rise of almond milk, as it lacks the lactose of traditional milk and the hormones found in soy. In fact, products labeled hormone- or antibiotic-free have posted double-digit growth over the past four years. They also generated $11.4 billion in sales in 2015. In addition, products labeled as lactose-free saw sales of $8.7 billion and grew 8.6% in the last four years.
Despite the huge growth in almond milk sales between 2011 and 2014, the pace did slow a bit in 2015, suggesting a potential plateau on the horizon.
