Tim Hortons Dropped Its Non-Dairy Surcharge — Here's How It Happened and Why It Matters
The global coffee chain worked with Switch4Good and vegan Olympic medalist Dotsie Bausch to end its surcharge on non-dairy milk in U.S. stores
Last week, global coffee chain Tim Hortons quietly made an otherwise thundering decision that is poised to reverberate throughout the food and beverage industry for years to come — and a vegan Olympic medalist who has already successfully campaigned one global coffee chain is to credit.
After Switch4Good founder and executive director Dotsie Bausch met with parent company Restaurant Brands International, Tim Hortons officially removed the non-dairy milk surcharge on all beverages ordered in U.S. stores.
“Normalizing plant food is essential to help shift the cultural perception of plant-based eating from an alternative or niche choice to a mainstream, accessible, and desirable way of life,” Bausch told The Sun Herald exclusively. “This is exactly what happened when Tim Horton’s proudly announced their non-dairy upcharge would be a thing of the past. When plant foods are seen as ordinary, delicious, and nutritionally sufficient rather than restrictive, inferior, or expensive, resistance to change weakens, and more people naturally integrate them into their diets. This normalization helps dismantle deeply ingrained habits and industry-driven narratives that position meat and dairy as dietary staples.”
Per Bausch, RBI informed her that Tim Hortons already dropped the surcharge on non-dairy milk in their Canadian stores at the dawn of the new year, and their U.S. locations were soon to follow.
The news comes after recent announcements from major coffee chains that have similarly opted to drop the non-dairy milk surcharge, including:
Starbucks: dropped the non-dairy surcharge on Oct. 31, 2024, after years of campaigning from Switch4Good, including working with a corporate whistleblower who dropped damning evidence of foul play, which in turn led to former CEO Laxman Narasimhan’s ouster;
Gregorys Coffee: dropped the non-dairy surcharge a few days later on Nov. 11, 2024 after years of successful outreach from World of Vegan;
Dutch Bros: dropped the non-dairy surcharge on Jan. 1, 2025, after more outreach from Switch4Good and others.
“We knew the domino effect would happen right after we coerced Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee shop chain, to drop their egregious non-dairy upcharge,” Bausch said. “I am thrilled with Paul Yang’s decision to put the planet first, and remove the wedge between his customers and their favorite oat milk latte.”