On Feb. 17, coconut milk will be available at Starbucks stores nationwide as a non-dairy, non-soy alternative to add to your Starbucks beverage. (Photo: Starbucks) 
 
 Starbucks is about to sell yet another thing to stir into your brew: coconut milk. 
 
 Beginning Feb. 17, the coffee giant will begin to offer coconut milk — Starbucks Single Origin Sumatra Coconut Milk — nationally as a non-dairy option, for an extra 60 cents. That's what it also charges for soy milk. 
 
 The new coconut milk is certified vegan and made from single-origin coconuts from the tropical Indonesian island of Sumatra. 
 
 The move comes amid a flurry of customer requests. In fact, providing a non-dairy alternative to dairy and soy is the second-most-requested customer idea that the company has ever received on its online platform for consumer suggestions, MyStarbucksidea.com, says spokeswoman Sanja Gould. 
 
 The alternative, non-dairy proposal has received more than 84,000 "votes" from consumers on the Starbucks customer idea site, Gould says. 
 
 Keeping customers happy is huge for Starbucks — including consumers who are vegan or lactose-intolerant. Offering an option like coconut milk is just the kind of thing that can help to separate Starbucks from its rivals. says Melody Overton, who writes the StarbucksMelody blog that is not affiliated with the chain. 
 
 "A lot of people are vegan or living a vegan lifestyle," says Overton. But there can also be a coolness factor to ordering dairy alternatives, she says. "It's pretty hip to be using coconut or almond milk." 
 
 What's more, coconut milk isn't limited to coffee, notes Christine Barone, vice president of brewed espresso at Starbucks. "We are excited to hear back what further customer and partner customization coconut milk inspires," she says, in a statement. 
 
 Starbucks says its beverage customization program now includes more than 170,000 beverage options. 
 
 And now, coconut milk ups the ante. 
 
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 Providing a non-dairy alternative to dairy and soy is the second most requested customer idea of all time from MyStarbucksIdea.com, generating more than 84,000 votes. Starbucks will deliver this additional customization with the introduction of Starbucks Single Origin Sumatra Coconut Milk, a creamy, delicious alternative to dairy and soy for handcrafted beverages, available beginning February 17, in Starbucks US company-operated and licensed locations. 
 
 Starbucks coconut milk is certified vegan and made from single-origin coconuts from the tropical Indonesian island of Sumatra. 
 
 Through careful research and development including numerous recipes and taste tests, Starbucks product innovators found that the rich, creaminess of Coconut Milk is the best complement to Starbucks hot, iced and Frappuccino® beverages without the same allergen challenges present in almond milk. 
 
 "Delivering the options our customers want is always the highlight of my day," said Christine Barone, Starbucks vice president brewed espresso. "We have a high bar for anything we pair with our high quality espresso and this coconut milk is smooth and perfectly complements the coffee. I personally love it in an iced vanilla latte. We are excited to hear back what further customer and partner customization coconut milk inspires.” 
 
 Starbucks keeps innovation relevant through constant communication with partners (employees) and customers. Partner engagement with coconut milk has been remarkable and was one indicator that coconut milk was a successful test at the end of 2014. Weeks before it is available in stores, social media reflects partner excitement; both for their personal consumption and because they are excited to bring it to their customers. 
 
 The idea for an additional dairy offering has been a daily request from customers, according to the My Starbucks Idea Blog post about the limited trial this past October. ”Tried a latte with coconut milk today...AMAZING,” said zipsgirl, MSI advocate. “I drink coconut milk by choice at home and I am thrilled Starbucks is carrying it. Please keep it!!” 
 
 Whether out of curiosity or dietary preference, those excited to try the new coconut milk can find it in stores beginning February 17, and can thank the more than 84,000 MSI advocates who voted for the idea. Starbucks is committed to continued innovation that facilitates further customization of the more than 170,000 beverage options available in stores. Share your ideas here: MyStarbucksIdea.com. 
 
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– Coconut milk is in, and Starbucks doesn't want to be too late to the party. The company will start offering the non-soy dairy alternative nationally on Feb. 17, charging 60 cents for the elevated-sounding Starbucks Single Origin Sumatra Coconut Milk—the same as it charges for soy milk. USA Today reports the certified vegan beverage is, as the name implies, sourced from single-origin coconuts from the tropical island. Customers have been clamoring for a non-dairy alternative to soy: That request is the No. 2 idea the company has fielded at MyStarbucksidea.com, per a Starbucks release, having racked up 84,000 votes. In a Dec. 30, 2013, comment on the thread "Alternatives to dairy and soy," Starbucks posted: "The beverage team is vetting this idea." What that vetting apparently entailed, per the release: "Through careful research and development including numerous recipes and taste tests, Starbucks product innovators found that the rich, creaminess of Coconut Milk is the best complement to Starbucks hot, iced and Frappuccino® beverages without the same allergen challenges present in almond milk." With the addition, Starbucks joins a growing number of US chains—including Chipotle and White Castle—expanding their vegetarian and vegan options, reports the Christian Science Monitor. (Coconut milk isn't the only thing Americans are adding to their coffee these days.)