17 June 2024 | 42 mins

Episode 115: The incredible rise of plant-based beverages

In today's episode, we're diving into the world of plant-based beverages to explore the rapid rise of non-dairy options in coffee shops and what's next for this dynamic category.

We'll first speak with Sam Henderson, Group Beverage Development Manager at Starbucks EMEA and Mia Hartwell, Head of Food, Hubbub to find out how the dairy alternative category has developed in recent years and why more consumers are choosing plant-based options.

We'll also speak with Declan Mackle, Global Head of Coffee, Alpro / Silk and Pip O’Neill, Brand Manager and Nicole Chan, Coffee Community Manager at MOMA Foods, to understand the different waves of plant-based adoption around the world and unpack the phenomenal success of oat.

Credits music: "Carolina Gold" by Dani in association with The Coffee Music Project and SEB Collective

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Guests

Sam Henderson

Group Manager, Beverage Development, Starbucks EMEA

Sam Henderson began his career with Starbucks as a barista while at university. After winning the Starbucks UK Barista Championships, Henderson moved into the beverage development team, completing a degree in food science and now leads the beverage development team across Starbucks EMEA.

Declan Mackle

Global Head of Coffee, Alpro

Declan Mackle has 30 years of experience working in the Food and Drink Industry with various commercial roles in Hospitality, Food Service and FMCG. Mackle Joined Alpro in 2001, leading sales channel development in the UK&I and is now responsible for developing the Alpro Plant Based business in the coffee channel for Danone.

Mia Hartwell

Head of Food, Hubbub

Mia Hartwell is Head of Food at Hubbub: a creative charity that makes environmental action make sense for people, communities and businesses through campaigns and behaviour-change interventions. Prior to Hubbub, Hartwell spent 15 years in the food industry working in brand, sustainability and communications.

Pip O’Neill

Brand Manager, MOMA Foods

Pip O’Neill is the Brand Manager at MOMA Foods. MOMA is a UK based food and beverage company founded in 2006, originally as an on-the-go porridge brand before expanding into the oat drink category in 2020. Today the business focuses on sustainable sourcing, working with British farmers to reduce its carbon footprint through a 100-mile supply chain from farm to factory.

Nicole Chan

Coffee Community Manager, MOMA Foods

Nicole is a coffee consultant and serves as the Coffee Community Manager at MOMA Foods – a plant-based food and beverage company based in the UK. After training with Well Grounded, Chan began her coffee career as a barista at The Gentlemen Baristas, working her way up to Wholesale Account Manager. Chan joined MOMA in January 2024 working with baristas and the coffee community.