If you are intolerant of dairy milk products, you can now buy plant-based milk.
This is thanks to the soy and almond milk products that have been introduced into the market by Brookside.
Reza Chabokro, Brookside’s marketing director said plant-based milk is an alternative to dairy products, which, although labelled with names that have the word ‘milk’, are made from plants.
“The introduction of plant-based milk is a response to consumer preferences for products that are dairy, gluten and lactose-free protein-packed drinks processed from wholesome ingredients,” Chabokro said.
He spoke during the launch of the soy and almond plant-based milk products at Brookside’s office in Ruiru.
He said the milk is also suitable for vegetarians since it is low in carbohydrates.
Chabokro said they are pioneering the plant-based products market with almond and soy milk variants as they train their sights on a growing wellness-conscious population.
“As champions of innovation in the dairy industry, we continue to leverage on research and innovation to ensure that we keep pace with the ever-changing consumer trends and preferences. The expansion of our product portfolio also benefits over 200,000 farmers across East Africa, who are guaranteed a market for the supply of raw milk,” Chabokro said.
He said Kenyans are becoming health conscious and this, coupled with the high rate of urbanisation, is attracting many consumers to plant-based products.
“Plant-based milk is fast growing market demand around the world and Kenya is moving to new health sensitive products,” Chabokro said.
He added that getting raw materials is a challenge and they have been importing from around the globe, but they are prioritising empowering local producers and raw material providers to source the products.
He said there are extensive plans to interest and train dairy farmers on producing raw materials for plant-based milk production.
Benjamin Nzile, manager research innovation and new product development said they are currently sourcing their ingredients in the international market due to lack of the same in the local market.
He, however, encouraged farmers to invest in soya and almonds as there is a ready market.
Nzile said there is a new pyramid shift and many people are becoming vegetarians and vegans and are curious to try out new things.
“This is a market that is growing and farmers need to grab the opportunity and get into farming almond, soy and oats and other products that can be used as a dairy alternative. Farmers need to diversify because this is a new niche that has not been tapped," Nzile said.