Starbucks Summer Sips, Oat ‘Klondike’ Bars, and More Vegan Food News of the Week 

It seems that every week in the world of vegan food news is more exciting than the last and this week is no exception. Starbucks is stepping into summer with a new tropical Refresher that also has a coconut milk-spiked version. Ice cream brand GoodPop has nailed a vegan copycat of the iconic Klondike bar. And Follow Your Heart wants to throw you and your community a summer block party complete with Vegenaise. Read on for more. 

1Starbucks’ dairy-free summer sips

Starbucks just launched its summer menu and its main attraction is a new Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher that’s tangy, sweet, and … refreshing. This beverage was inspired by a pineapple popsicle and passionfruit shaved ice and is hand shaken by Starbucks baristas with real diced pineapple pieces and ice. Adding a splash of coconut milk to this refresher transforms it into Starbucks’ new Paradise Drink.  

Starbucks

“The Paradise Drink Starbucks Refreshers beverage is like sunshine in a cup–the bright tropical flavors are radiant, happy, and joyful. It’s the perfect summer sip for a little moment of escape wherever you are,” Raegan Powell, a Senior product developer from the Starbucks R&D team who led the creation of the new drink, said in a statement. 

The new beverage joins its fellow refreshers, Strawberry Acai and Mango Dragonfruit, along with their corresponding Pink Drink and Dragon Drink creations. The coffee chain’s summer drink cups are also here and come decked out in bright colors to make sustainable sipping a fun experience. 

2Oat milk “Klondike” squares

What would we do for a vegan Klondike bar? Probably a whole lot, but in the meantime, ice cream brand GoodPop has made finding a vegan Klondike-like bar pretty easy. A Klondike copycat in every way minus the dairy, GoodPop’s new frozen treats feature oat milk-based ice cream enrobed in fudgey chocolate. If you’re into double-fisting frozen treats, the brand also just launched gluten-free Chocolate Vanilla Sandwiches filled with oat milk-based ice cream.

GoodPop

“We love reinventing classic nostalgic favorites with better-for-you ingredients, which means they have a much shorter, cleaner ingredient list and are allergen-friendly, but without sacrificing taste,” GoodPop CEO and founder Daniel Goetz said in a statement. “With our ice cream sandwiches and squares we decided to enter new territory because we saw an opportunity in the market to recreate the cult classic squares and ice cream sandwiches like the ones we grew up with in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but with cleaner ingredients that are more delicious and better for people and the planet.”

3Vegan seafood for summer grilling

A plant-based beef burger is always a good grilling choice, but this summer we’re excited to try something new, too. Vegan seafood has gained a lot of popularity recently and the idea of throwing a fish-free salmon burger on the barbie has been made possible by Good Catch Foods. Founded by chef brothers Chad and Derek Sarno, this brand makes all of its vegan seafood using a proprietary blend of wholesome plant proteins—peas, soy, chickpeas, faba beans, lentils, and navy beans—that capture the texture and flavor of seafood without the ocean-destroying side effects of eating fish. 

Good Catch Foods

The even better news here is that the company just launched its Get Grilling Plant-Based Fish Burgers Pack, which includes a three-pack of its salmon burgers and three-pack of its classic fish burgers. From now until June 29, the 12-patty combo pack is $20 cheaper than its normal price of $69.99 and can be shipped to all 50 states in time for the fourth of July. 

4Nuts for Cheese

Nuts for Cheese, a vegan cheese brand that uses—you guessed it—nuts as its base, just raised $5.35 million in funding led by Forage Capital Partners. Started in 2015 by vegan chef Margaret Coons, Nuts for Cheese makes cashew-based gourmet cheeses in flavors such as Artichoke & Herb, Un-brie-lievable, and Black Garlic. Nuts for Cheese—which also makes vegan butter using a base of cultured cashews—will use the new funding to grow the brand during a time when vegan cheese is gaining popularity. 

Nuts for Cheese

“From the early days I’ve worked hard to surround myself with the right partners,” Coons said in a statement. “It’s been such a journey, from a rented commercial kitchen to building out our current 25,000-square-foot facility. What once looked huge to me is now quickly becoming ready for more expansion. This investment comes at a perfect time for us to be able to keep pace with our growth and I couldn’t be happier partnering with a company like Forage, which has extensive experience in the food space and such an incredible team.”

5Vegan cheese block party 

Speaking of vegan cheese, Follow Your Heart (FYH) is giving away $10,000, split evenly among 10 communities, to help them throw summer block parties of their dreams. The brand is known for its Vegenaise vegan mayo but also makes many other products, including a whole line of vegan cheese, salad dressings, and more. Block party winners will each receive a selection of FYH products, a $1,000 cash prize, and a custom-made branded cooler. 

Follow Your Heart

“Outdoor block parties are making a big comeback in 2022 after two summers when events were few and far between,” Lauren Kahner, FYH Director of Marketing, said in a statement. “This summer, Follow Your Heart wants to be a part of your outdoor celebration and ensure it includes delicious plant-based eats for all. Summer block parties are a fun, food-filled tradition for communities to come together and enjoy good times with good eats—and we’re all about that at Follow Your Heart.”

To enter, email FYH at FollowYourHeartBlockParty@ICFNext.com about why your community is into plant-based options and why you’d like the brand to help you throw a block party. FYH is taking email submissions from now until July 4, 2022. 

For the latest vegan news, read:
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