Dairy-free milk lovers have reason to celebrate.

On October 30, Starbucks announced that it would no longer charge extra for non-dairy milk along with the launch of its holiday menu on November 7. The change, which will take effect at company-owned and operated stores in the U.S. and Canada, comes after years of complaints from vegan and lactose-intolerant customers.

The second most requested customization by Starbucks customers – after adding a shot of espresso – is replacing non-dairy milk in their drinks. Starbucks says nearly half of its current U.S. customers who purchase soy, oat, almond or coconut milk at its company-owned stores will pay 10% less for their drink.

North American Starbucks are not the first to eliminate the non-dairy milk surcharge: locations in the United Kingdom eliminated it in 2022, and locations in Germany and France were added by 2023.

Brian Niccol, Starbucks' newly appointed chairman and CEO, said in a press release that this announcement is just one of “many changes” the coffee giant plans to make under his reign – such as reducing discounts and promotions.

“I have decided that we will return to Starbucks and focus on what has always set Starbucks apart – a welcoming coffeehouse where people come together and we serve the finest coffee handcrafted by our expert baristas,” he said.

Vegan and lactose-intolerant customers as well as animal welfare organizations have been calling for Starbucks to abolish the surcharge for dairy-free products for years. A 2021 Change.org petition in support of the initiative has garnered over 38,000 signatures.

PETA has asked the coffee chain to make this change through blog posts, open letters and protests.

Starting in January 2022, PETA and supporters of the Animal Rights Initiative protested at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle for over 100 days. Sir Paul McCartney even joined the fray, penning a letter to the coffee giant that was published by Billboard in 2022.

In March of this year, a 13-year-old boy was arrested while protesting at a Central Florida Starbucks, prompting his mother to write an open letter published by PETA. Then in September, Tracy Reiman, the organization's executive vice president, wrote Niccol a letter after he was named head of Starbucks, encouraging him to end the markup.