Happy happy Foods explains why its original product, Happy happy Soy Boy, has stood the test of time and how the carbon neutral company is committed to building a more sustainable future.
As reformed dairy drinkers, the Happy happy Foods team wanted to develop a plant-based product for the café market that was sustainable, and tasty enough to motivate milk lovers to make the switch.
Happy happy Soy Boy first hit the café scene in late 2018 following a rigorous development process. Since then, it’s been making waves for all the right reasons.
“Happy happy Soy Boy was born out of a desire to create a plant-based milk that performed like dairy milk when added to coffee, without compromising on taste or nutrition. I come from a coffee background, so it was really important for me that our product complemented the taste of espresso,” says Founder Lloyd Andre Smith.
“Our premium soy milk is now stocked in thousands of coffee shops in Australia, and the Happy happy Family spans multiple countries in Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom.”
The product is free from stabilisers, emulsifiers, kombu, and genetically modified organisms.
“Nutritionally speaking, soy milk is the most comparable to dairy due to its high protein content. When moving away from animal products, it’s important to still consider the nutritional value of the replacement. Happy happy Soy Boy is a high protein, low sugar and low carb product,” Lloyd says.
The dairy-alternative is made by soaking whole soybeans, which are then finely ground, filtered, and blended with just four other natural ingredients: water, salt, brown sugar, and calcium carbonate.
“The key reason that we’re the soy of choice is that our milk is crafted for coffee to create a smooth and creamy taste and texture. Happy happy Soy Boy has an alkaline base that, when mixed with the acidity of espresso, balances and complements its flavours,” says Lloyd.
Before the alternative
Lloyd has seen firsthand the impacts of climate change on coffee growing communities, such as rising temperatures and changing seasonality, after spending time exporting coffee in Sumatra, Indonesia in 2015.
“That’s where I found the desire to create plant-based milk products that worked really well with coffee. It’s important to note, at that time in 2015, there weren’t many milk alternatives and there was a perception that plant-based milks didn’t taste great with coffee,” he says.
“What plant-based brands have achieved over time is that consumers now love the taste of dairy alternatives, which has been fantastic to see. When I speak to customers in different suburbs across Australia, they tell me they’re selling over 35 per cent of all coffees with a plant-based milk.
“Over the next decade, I hope that change continues to happen at this rapid pace.”
As a climate responsible company, Happy happy Foods is committed to taking action for its environmental impact through transparency and accountability.
Each Happy happy product carries a climate score, similar to a health star rating, on its packaging. In Australia and New Zealand, the CarbonCloud calculated climate footprint of Happy happy Soy Boy is 0.66 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram. Happy happy Foods’ products and people are also 100 per cent carbon neutral.
“Becoming carbon neutral and introducing climate labelling on our products was a decision driven by the desire to hold ourselves and others accountable, whilst inspiring positive change. We are committed to measuring and publishing the carbon footprint of all our products. We fully embrace the challenge of transparency and encourage other individuals and businesses to do the same,” Lloyd says.
According to Happy happy Foods, a University of California, Davis agricultural report published in 2019 revealed that industrial livestock, including dairy production, contributes to 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, Lloyd says, the number has only risen.
“With such a limit on resources and so many mouths to feed, we know the future of agriculture and our diets will be heavily influenced by plant-based alternatives.
It’s so much more efficient to drink plant-based milk, from a water, land, and emissions perspective,” he says.
“As my business partner John Cruse says, for a product to truly benefit the environment, it must be nutritionally as good as, if not better than the product it is replacing. Introducing sustainable and environmentally conscious products helps others reduce their impact and that’s really been our inspiration and our goal with Happy happy Foods.”
Lloyd emphasises that moving away from consuming animal products is critical for the environment and believes the food system that’s been built over the last century is a dead end for the future.
“We need to talk about a better way of feeding ourselves. This is the first generation to truly see the impact that our consumption is having on the environment and the world that we live in. The responsibility lies with us to make a change, and we must take action. As consumers we have the choice to change the world we live in, by voting with our dollars, pounds, euro or yen… one purchase at a time,” Lloyd says.
“We’re excited to educate people on the benefits of dairy-alternatives and to have great plant-based products out there that work with coffee. People can have confidence when they see a café stocking Happy happy products that their latte is going to taste fantastic, be nutritious, and carbon neutral.
“We should never underestimate, on an individual level, how we can contribute to making change. I welcome everyone to join us on our Happy happy journey.”
Lloyd looks forward to spending 2023 promoting his growing suite of products, including Happy happy Almond Daddy, Happy happy Oat Oat Oat, Happy happy Hot Chocolate and Happy happy Mumma Matcha.
“Having released all four new products in the span of six months, we’re still focusing heavily on introducing them to the market. It takes two or three years for consumers to become aware of your product range, and until the Melbourne International Coffee Expo, hardly anyone had seen them,” says Lloyd.
“People often say to me, ‘wow, you released Happy happy Soy Boy quickly, it was an overnight success’. It actually took four years, and that was just one product. Imagine how proud I am to not only have released four products in six months, but to now have a whole range of plant-based café products that are happier for you and happier for the environment.”
For more information, visit www.eatdrinkhappyhappy.com
This article appears in the December 2022 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
