Global coffee chain Starbucks has announced that it is testing coconut milk in stores across Los Angeles, Cleveland and Oregon as an alternative to traditional dairy products.

Starbucks, which has close to 11,800 cafes across the US, has in the past, run a trial of gluten-free items.

Starbucks spokeswoman was quoted by euters as saying that the company is not testing almond milk considering the safety of customers with nut allergies.

In Los Angeles, Starbucks rival Peet’s Coffee offers lattes and other drinks made with almond milk.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has started offering customers in all of its 179 US company owned stores the option of choosing almond-coconut milk since March 2014.

Another popular milk alternative that has been used by many companies over the years is soy milk. Starbucks began offering products with soy milk in 1997.

Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of speciality coffee. It has more than 15,000 stores in 50 countries.