Victory! Caribou Coffee Drops Vegan Milk Upcharge Across the Board After Talks With PETA

For Immediate Release:
January 6, 2026

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Kindness is brewing at Caribou Coffee! After meeting with PETA, the Brooklyn Center-based chain—which has 800 locations in 11 countries—has stopped charging extra for vegan milk. The move comes after Caribou’s 2023 decision to drop the vegan milk charge for rewards members who pre-ordered on the app—but following PETA’s plea, now anyone can order oat, almond, or coconut milk at no additional charge. PETA is sending vegan chocolates to the company in thanks.

“More customers are turning to vegan milks after they learn about the suffering mother cows endure when their calves are stolen from them so that their milk can be sold to coffee shops,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA celebrates Caribou Coffee’s compassionate decision to make animal- and planet-friendly vegan milks more accessible and urges holdout coffee chains like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to stop charging customers extra for ethical choices.”

Cows can recognize the faces of their friends in photographs and mourn when a loved one dies or when they’re separated from each other, yet in the dairy industry, female cows are forcibly impregnated and have their beloved calves stolen from them so the milk meant to nourish their babies can be sold to humans. Newborn males are slaughtered for veal, while female calves endure the same fate as their mothers until their bodies wear out and they’re sent to slaughter.

Caribou Coffee is the seventh major coffee chain to drop the upcharge following Starbucks, Dunkin’, Tim Horton’s, Dutch Bros, Scooter’s Coffee, and Peet’s Coffee. PETA is now encouraging everyone to urge The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to follow Caribou Coffee’s compassionate lead by dropping its vegan milk upcharge.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.