Starbucks goes vegan in India; launches vegan menu in partnership with Imagine Meats

Tata Starbucks has introduced an all-new vegan product lineup in India in partnership with Imagine Meats, a local plant-based food venture by Celebrity Couple & Entrepreneurs Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh.

Starting this month, Starbucks is adding three food products: Vegan Sausage Croissant Roll, Vegan Hummus Kebab Wrap and Vegan Croissant Bun.

“Customers in India are increasingly looking to explore more vegan food options. Since Starbucks arrived in the India market, we have always aimed to provide locally-relevant choices for vegetarian customers, and this new collaboration with one of India’s home-grown ventures, Imagine Meats, is yet another way to offer our customers more ways to customize their Starbucks Experience with delightful new offerings,” shared Sushant Dash, CEO, Tata Starbucks Pvt Ltd.

The newly-launched vegan food menu provides more vegan options for customers, in addition to Starbucks’ existing beverage customization options with plant-based dairy alternatives such as almond, oat and soy.

For Starbucks, expanding vegan menus globally is one of the ways the company is pursuing its goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 50%.

“Imagine Meats is our heartfelt endeavor towards nurturing a caring attitude regarding the planet while nurturing conscious and sustainable high protein food choices. We are thrilled to be joining hands with Starbucks who supports our vision and to introduce a new vegan food menu in India that offers consumers a simple guilt-free switch to plant-based meat,” added Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, Founders of Imagine Meats.

The new vegan product lineup is available in select stores in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Goa, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Pune.

As per a September 2021 study by a retail broking company in India*, the plant-based meat market in India is estimated at $30-40 million. The new menu joins a growing list of vegan menu options available to the brand’s customers around the world.

Starbucks entered the Indian market in October 2012 through a 50/50 Joint Venture with Tata Consumer Products Ltd and currently operates 272 stores in India across 28 cities.