Silk (brand)

Silk is an American brand of dairy-substitute products (including soy milk, soy yogurt, almond milk, almond yogurt, cashew milk, coconut milk, oat milk, and other dairy-alternative products) currently owned by Danone after it purchased WhiteWave Foods in 2016.

Silk
A glass of Oat yeah! Silk oat milk
Product typePlant milk
OwnerDanone (2017–pres.)
Produced byDanone North America
CountryU.S.
Introduced1977 (1977)
MarketsNorth America
Previous owners
Websitesilk.com

History

Whitewave Foods was founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 1977 by Steve Demos, initially focusing on soy and tofu products.[1] The first product was introduced in March 1996 by WhiteWave, Inc. at the Natural Foods Expo in Anaheim, California. In the years that followed, Silk became a successful, worldwide, organic food brand.

In 2002 WhiteWave, Inc was sold to Dean Foods for over $300 million.[2] The company's sales grew to $350 million in annual revenues by 2005. As the business grew, Silk became the largest purchaser of organic, Non GMO soybeans in North America. According to Silk's web site in August 2009, all its soy beans are sourced from North America including organic and non-GMO soybeans.[3]

In January 2010, the company introduced Silk Pure Almond, an almond milk, and its first non-soy-based product.[4]

In 2013, WhiteWave Foods separated from Dean Foods, and became an independent, publicly traded company.[5]

Silk has been a five-year recipient of the Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.[6][7][8] Silk has been a supporter of Farm Aid since 2002. Silk is a member of the Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA), which provides information about the health benefits and nutritional advantages of soy consumption.

In July 2016 it was announced that the French company Danone would purchase WhiteWave Foods for $10.4 billion.[9] The acquisition was completed in April 2017 and newly formed company was named "DanoneWave"[10]

Lawsuit

In the fall of 2009 the Pioneer Press reported that the Cornucopia Institute had made complaints to the U.S. Department of Agriculture accusing Silk producer Dean Foods and its WhiteWave Foods division, of shifting their products away from organics without properly notifying retailers or consumers.[11][12] According to the Star Telegram and other news sources, Silk brand soy milk was made using organic soybeans switched to conventional soybeans while maintaining the same UPC barcodes and prices on the Silk products while replacing the word "organic" with "natural" on the Silk product packaging.[13]

Silk maintains that it sources only domestic/U.S. soy beans. The brand has also enrolled all of its products in the Non-GMO Project's verification process.[14]

Products

As of August 2017:[15]

  • Refrigerated soy milk: Vanilla, Original, Chocolate, Very Vanilla, DHA Omega-3, Organic Vanilla, Unsweet Vanilla, Organic Unsweetened, Plain Plus Omega-3 DHA (discontinued 2013)
  • Light soy milk: Original, Vanilla, Chocolate
  • Shelf-stable soy milk: Original Aseptic, Vanilla Aseptic, Organic Unsweetened Aseptic, Starbucks Vanilla Aseptic (A special blend made for use and purchase in Starbucks' stores)
  • Shelf-stable single-serve soy milk: Very Vanilla, Chocolate
  • Specialty soy milk: Pumpkin Spice (seasonal), Nog (seasonal), Chocolate Mint (seasonal)
  • Dairy-free yogurt alternative: Peach Almond, Strawberry Almond, Vanilla Almond, Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond, Plain Almond, Peach & Mango Soy, Blueberry Soy, Strawberry Soy, Vanilla Soy, Tropical Pineapple Soy, Plain Soy
  • Creamer: Vanilla Soy, Original Soy, Hazelnut Soy, Vanilla Almond, Caramel Almond, Hazelnut Almond
  • Almond milk: Vanilla, Original, Organic Original, Dark Chocolate, Unsweetened Vanilla, Unsweetened, Light Vanilla, Light Original
  • Cashew milk: Original, Unsweetened, Unsweetened Vanilla, Chocolate
  • Coconut milk: Vanilla, Original, Unsweetened
  • Almond+Coconut Blend: Original Blend, Unsweetened Blend
  • Protein nut milk: 2g Sugar, Vanilla, Chocolate
  • Oat Yeah! OatMilk: The Plain One, Vanilla, Zero Sugar, Oatmeal Cookie Creamer

See also

References
  1. Mclean B. Profiles in Persistence: In 1977 Steve Demos had an idea to sell soy-based foods to health-conscious Americans. Two decades later, it's paying off. CNN/Money, May 1, 2001. Accessed December 3, 2020.
  2. "Dean Foods buys rest of White Wave". BizWest. 2002-05-17. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  3. "Soybean Sourcing and Production Program" (PDF). silk.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 1, 2010. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  4. Chaker, Anne Marie (2011-01-12). "Move Over, Cow". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  5. "Dean Foods to Spin Off WhiteWave Foods". Consumer Goods Technology. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  6. "Green Power Leadership Awards 2008 Winners". United States Department of Energy. 2008-11-03. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  7. "Silk Wins Wind Power Award". Silk Website. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  8. "Leaders in Renewable Energy Market Honored". Renewable Energy World. 2004-10-06. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  9. Danone CEO: Here's Why We're Buying WhiteWave BY BETH KOWITT - July 13, 2016 on Fortune.com
  10. Danone completes acquisition by Jim Cornall on The Dairy Reporter, 12-Apr 2017
  11. Twin Cities.com Pioneer Press, "Watchdog charges Target"
  12. Cornucopia Institute web site
  13. "Grocers Irked to Find Out Soy Milk Not Organic". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
  14. "Silk® Beverage Portfolio Achieves Non-GMO Project Verification | the Non-GMO Project". nongmoproject.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  15. "All Silk Products: Silk". silk.com. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
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