Starbucks to add oat milk to all stores by Spring 2021

by: Sydney Kalich and Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Dec 10, 2020 / 09:35 AM CST / Updated: Dec 10, 2020 / 09:35 AM CST

MIAMI – JANUARY 28: A Starbucks Coffee cup is shown January 28, 2009 in Miami, Florida. Starbucks will lay off about 700 non-store workers by mid-February, including about 350 at its Seattle headquarters, as part of a reduction of 6,000 positions worldwide over the next eight months. The company also will close about 300 underperforming stores, according to a memo from CEO Howard Schultz. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

SEATTLE (NewsNation Now) — Starbucks announced it is adding oat milk to its menu nationwide.

The popular coffee chain said Wednesday the popular non-dairy option will be available to all stores by spring 2021. The plant-based creamer was first rolled out in the Midwest this year.

The company first began offering non-dairy milk in 1997 when it added soy milk to the menu. Coconut milk and almond milk followed in 2015 and 2016 as plant-based options began to grow in popularity.

Earlier this month, Starbucks also announced it is offering free coffee for all of December to “those keeping our communities safe during COVID-19.”

The company said that any customer identifying as a frontline responder to the pandemic will receive a tall brewed coffee — hot or iced — free of charge.