Dairy Concentrates & Beyond: Non-Dairy Concentrated Flavors You’ll Favor

Food and beverage manufacturers and specialty food companies need on-trend, better-for-you ingredients with unique flavor profiles and functionality to respond to market demands for delicious, healthy and imaginative dairy alternative products that sell.


Why Consumers Look for Non-Dairy Flavors

There’s no doubt about it; today’s dairy alternatives market is successful and growing—but what is driving this? Some common reasons today’s consumers are choosing non-dairy options include:


Allergens or Intolerance to Dairy

With a growing interest and need for products that cater to lactose intolerance and dairy allergies, consumers are being drawn to dairy alternative products.1


Lifestyle Choices

Some consumers choose dairy alternatives because they align with their lifestyle choices, including veganism and other dietary preferences. While the number of vegan consumers has remained largely unchanged in the past few years, there is also a group of “alternative-curious” individuals that take interest in dairy alternatives.1


Health Benefits for the Health-Conscious Consumer

Many consumers choose dairy alternatives because they perceive them to be healthier than traditional dairy products. This includes attributes like being a good source of protein.1


Sustainability and Ethical Considerations

When it comes to cheese products specifically, free-from and sustainability claims trail behind health benefits as choice factors, but these claims can mean more to certain demographics.2 Younger consumers in particular are interested in sustainability claims, which can include environmental protection, economic viability and social equity.2


What Non-Dairy Consumers Are Looking For

To stand out in the market it takes more than just a non-dairy claim. With so many innovative flavor combinations and additional health benefits it’s hard to know which will resonate with your consumers. To help with this, we’ve got some insights for you—today’s consumers who choose non-dairy products are looking for:


Functional Ingredients

When functional ingredients and benefits are also introduced in non-dairy products, the consumer appeal grows. Finding attributes that are important to customers—such as high protein, high vitamin D and high calcium—can help dairy alternatives appeal to health-conscious consumers.2 Adding ingredients that offer health benefits—such as honey for soothing attributes, ginger for energy or cucumber for refreshing qualities—are also gaining traction. These ingredients support wellness goals and are preferred over no/low sugar options.3


Taste and Enjoyment

Enjoyable taste is crucial for driving purchases of dairy alternative products. Consumers expect these products to meet or exceed their taste expectations.1 Younger consumers, in particular, are interested in exploring different options and flavors in dairy alternatives. This group has grown up with a wider variety of dairy alternatives available to them and are more open to innovation and variety.2

Also consider new innovative flavor combinations that are seasonal or have nostalgic appeal. Some current non-dairy beverages are leveraging seasonal and nostalgic flavors to attract consumers. Examples include Starbucks' sugar cookie syrup and Dunkin's Shamrock Macchiato with Irish crème. Nostalgic flavors like s'mores and cotton candy are also popular in non-dairy beverages.3


How Butter Buds Can Help

It’s clear that there is a lot of importance placed on the taste, health benefits, ingredient variety and ethical considerations of non-dairy flavors and ingredients. When you use Butter Buds® non-dairy specialty products, you can easily meet these consumer demands and create products that will fly off the shelves.

Butter Buds® Non-Dairy Concentrated Dairy Flavors provide the flavor of butter and cream without the risk of exposure to dairy allergens. This makes it easy for your lactose-intolerant consumers to enjoy the taste of real butter and cream in a variety of foods and nutritional beverages. Our non-dairy dairy concentrated powders are created using a combination of maltodextrin, sunflower oil and rice starch to produce highly concentrated dairy-free dairy flavors. Using these ingredients provides creamy dairy flavor, adds richness and masks off-flavors in a variety of applications including:

  • Ice Cream

  • Milk

  • Yogurt

  • Icings

  • Confectionery

  • Dessert Mixes

  • Bakery Products

  • And more!

Explore the full benefits of our Non-Dairy ingredients in our complimentary whitepaper.

When you work with Butter Buds you are getting more than ingredients, you are getting a partner. We collaborate with our customers to proactively explore new trends, products and formulation possibilities at our state-of-the-art production facility in Racine, Wisconsin. Tap into our expertise to bring your dairy alternative products to market faster.

Let’s get started! Contact our team.


1https://www.mckinsey.com/indus...

2https://www.innovamarketinsigh...

3 Mintel US milk and non-dairy milk market report, 2021

4 Mintel Global Food & Drink Trends, 2024

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