Paul McCartney asks Peet’s Coffee to stop its plant milk surcharge

On this day, Paul McCartney, in support of a PETA campaign, wrote a letter to Eric Lauterbach, president and CEO of Peet’s Coffee, asking him to eliminate the company’s 80 cent-$1 surcharge for vegan milk. Days later (around March 15), the coffee chain announced that, starting in June, non-dairy options would be at the same price as all milk-based drinks.

It recently came to my attention that Peet’s has an extra charge for plant-based milks as opposed to cow’s milk. I must say this surprised me as I understand that your company is committed to reducing methane emissions and water waste, yet cow’s milk significantly contributes to them I would like to politely request that you consider dropping the upcharge on plant milks, just as Starbucks and Dunkin’ have recently done.

Paul McCartney – Letter to Peet’s Coffee CEO

I am really happy to hear this!

Paul McCartney – March 15

With a little help from our friend Sir Paul McCartney, PETA notched a swift win for animals, the planet, and kind consumers, who shouldn’t be punished for making the ethical and healthy choice to ditch dairy

Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA

From For Peet’s Sake! Sir Paul to Peet’s: Drop Non-Dairy Milk Upcharge, Please | PETA, March 12, 2025:

Emeryville, Calif. – Because Peet’s Coffee is still milking conscientious consumers by charging at least 80 cents more for vegan milks, PETA today launched a nationwide campaign to have the coffee retailer stop the unfair upcharge with a little help from their friend, long-time PETA pal Sir Paul McCartney. The rock icon, longtime veggie, and animal liberation advocate has kicked off the campaign with a letter to Peet’s Coffee President and CEO Eric Lauterbach, pressing him to come together with the rapidly growing list of coffee chains that have stopped penalizing consumers for choosing dairy-free milks that are kind to cows, their calves, and the environment, something that Peet’s professes to care about.

McCartney will also star on a PETA billboard as part of a nationwide media blitz targeting Peet’s, which kicks off March 17 with an additional billboard directly outside Peet’s Oakland location—just down the road from their corporate headquarters in Emeryville.

“I must say this [vegan milk upcharge] surprised me as I understand that your company is committed to reducing methane emissions and water waste, yet cow’s milk significantly contributes to them,” writes McCartney. “I would like to politely request that you consider dropping the upcharge on plant milks, just as Starbucks and Dunkin’ have recently done.”

Cows have friends, hold grudges against other cows, and mourn when a loved one dies or when they’re separated from each other—especially their beloved calves who are taken away so that the milk from their mother’s teats that is meant for them can be sold. In addition to causing these animals immense suffering, the dairy industry is a major producer of the greenhouse gases fueling the climate catastrophe.

To coincide with McCartney’s outreach and launch the campaign, PETA supporters are hitting the streets with protests outside Peet’s locations around the country. PETA members will gather outside Peet’s flagship store in San Francisco—where yet another billboard is scheduled to go up in April—alongside a “dead” calf in a giant Peet’s Coffee cup, chanting and holding signs declaring, “Dairy Milk Kills Cows and The Planet. End the Upcharge!” PETA will also run full-page ads in local Emeryville newspapers.

From Change is Brewing! Peet’s Coffee Drops Plant Milk Upcharge After PETA and Paul Pressure | PETA, March 15, 2025:

Emeryville, Calif. – And that’s a frappe! Just days after PETA launched a national campaign pressing Peet’s Coffee to stop charging extra for vegan milk, with longtime PETA pal Sir Paul McCartney part of the push, the chain has announced that it will stop penalizing conscientious consumers for choosing plant milks that are kind to cows, their calves, and the planet. Sir Paul wrote to Peet’s Coffee CEO Eric Lauterbach, and the chain knew that PETA was planning a blitz of targeted billboards near stores across the country,a stirring social media campaign, protests outside its stores, and had already received letters from more than 40,000 PETA supporters urging the chain to join Starbucks, Dunkin’, and other coffee giants that had dropped the punitive plant milk price hike.

“Coffee chains are waking up to the fact that kind customers are ditching dairy and won’t tolerate being punished for making humane and climate-friendly choices,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is celebrating Peet’s adoption of the new industry standard and is urging the few remaining holdouts, like Caribou Coffee and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, to join in to save mother cows from being separated from their beloved calves and reduce methane emissions.”

Cows have deep maternal instincts and, like all mothers, produce milk only to feed their babies. In the dairy industry, cows are repeatedly forcibly impregnated, and their calves are taken away from them within a day of birth so that the milk meant to nourish them can be stolen and sold to humans. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter. In addition to causing these animals immense suffering, the dairy industry is a major producer of the greenhouse gases fueling the climate catastrophe.

Peet’s joins several other chains—including Starbucks, Dunkin’, Dutch Bros, Blue Bottle Coffee, Panera Bread, Philz Coffee, Pret A Manger, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and Tim Hortons—in offering dairy-free milk at no extra charge.

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