I'm returning to the non-dairy "milks" well once again. A while ago I was passing through that section of the Shop-Rite when I saw some that I hadn't had before. So I rectified that quickly. For the record, I got the Milkadamia kind from Jindilli Beverages, LLC, the Banana Wave one from the Fresh Start Beverage Company, and the Rice Dream Horchata from the Hain Celestial Group. (Plus, if you're curious, I did a post about an oat milk, a hemp seed milk, and a pea/tapioca/potato milk back on June 16, 2018.)
Jindilli Beverages, LLC is the baby of the bunch, only having been around since 2016. The farm itself is actually located in Australia, but attempts to start marketing their non-dairy products there were thwarted, as potential investors, etc., didn't think such things would sell well. So CEO Jim Richards and co-founder Morgan Roy decided to try it in the U.S., near Chicago, Illinois. And it did work. Aside from the milk alternative I tried, they also make non-dairy fare like creamers, buttery spreads, and other flavors of macadamia milk. Also, evidently using another brand, they make cooking oils and skin care products. As might be expected given their product line, Jindilli is aggressively into environmental causes, and against the consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy. In addition to having no dairy products, their website noted that their wares are free of gluten, GMOs, and cruelty. Also, potential customers who are observant Jews can rest assured that Jindilli's products are kosher. One final point--I learned that the macadamia nut's point of origin was Australia.
Fresh Start Beverage Company is also fairly recent, having begun in 2013. It's a family affair. Claudette Patron is the chairman of the board, her son H. E. Neter Kush Ben Alkebulan is the co-founder/chief beverage officer, and his then fiance (presumably now wife) Trendolyn Hopkins is the chief brand officer. The official company website states that they are the first to market non-dairy banana milk, and I for one can not dispute this. There are four Banana Wave flavors--the original, the mango, the chocolate, and strawberry. All these "milks" are made from a combination of bananas and oats as their main base ingredients. As for an independent reviewer comment (aside from my own, below), the website sarasorganiceats.com reportedly said, "Banana Wave is by far the only dairy free milk that is delicious to drink on its own."
The Rice Dream horchata manufacturer started as the Morning Dew Organic Food Market in the early 1970's, founded by Robert Nissenbaum. By 1982 Nissenbaum expanded his operation, and started making his own products, which then proved to be very popular at a 1982 food industry trade show. Currently the company is part of the Hain Celestial Group, which specializes in organic and natural foods. Like the Jindilli Beverage company, they are very big into environmental sustainability. One way they accomplish this is by using minimal but shelf stable packaging. Alternate products include other Rice Dream flavors, Soy Dream, Almond Dream, Coconut Dream, and Dream Oat kinds of drinks, based on what the non dairy base is. Also, horchata is an ancient drink--a precursor form of it was made from the wonderfully named tiger nuts in Mali and Nigeria, and by about 1000 A.D. it was introduced into Spain. It's popular throughout the Mediterranean, and in Latin American countries. There are many variants, but horchata generally is flavored with vanilla and cinnamon.
1) Fresh Start Beverage Company, Banana Wave, original flavor: Came in a quart bottle (or 946 mL) made of heavy paper, and had a brownish-yellow color. I should remind readers up front that I don't enjoy bananas much at all, either as a fruit, or as a flavoring, with the odd exception of some wheat beers. This one had a distinct banana-y odor. The taste was....alright. Since the other base of the drink was oats, which I love, this probably offset the banana flavor enough to make it okay. I had this plain, and on Cheerios cereal, and both were decent, if unspectacular. I don't think I'll buy this again, but I was surprised that it wasn't repellent. And if you like bananas, of course, you might be dazzled by this concoction.
2) Jindilli Beverages, LLC, Milkadamia macadamia milk, original flavor: Same size, and type of packaging as the previous. Had a very cow's milk like color. Maybe slightly off-white, but basically looked identical. Didn't have a really strong taste. Flavor was similar to milk, with maybe a slightly different after-taste. So it was solid, but not great. I also had this one plain, and on Cheerios. Once again, I don't think I'll get this one again, but it was decent. I can certainly see its appeal to vegans or those who are lactose intolerant.
3) The Hain Celestial Group, Rice Dream horchata: Same size and type of container as the others. Had a brownish-white hue, less brownish than the Banana Wave kind. I liked this one the best. I had it plain, and on Cheerios once more. It had a sweetness that the others lacked, probably from the cinnamon, I suppose. It really enhanced the cereal. Unlike the others, I think I will get this one again. I should note, that this better taste came with a price--it had at least double the calories of the others. (Although, oddly, the milkadamia one has the most fat.)
So, all in all, these non dairy milks were at least okay. It's nice that people who don't want, or can't have, regular cow's milk have some decent alternatives. To end on a negative note, I did see that the Hain Celestial Group apparently got into trouble for mislabeling some of their products as being organic when they weren't, and reportedly had to pay customers a settlement of over $10,000,000 in total. Also, this wasn't related to the Jindilli company, but if you want to read a macadamia-related news event that's both infuriating and absurd, check out the so called "nut rage" airline incident of 2014.
This is apropos of nothing, but I think the title "chief beverage officer" is cool, and I'm a little jealous of it.
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