Ben & Jerry's grants fans dairy-free wish

ben & jerry's ice cream
Ben & Jerry's says it will be the first big ice cream maker to offer a dairy-free alternative.

Can't stomach milk? Ben and Jerry's will soon have an ice cream for you.

The company will launch a new dairy-free range of tubs early next year, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The plan was first revealed by co-founder Jerry Greenfield in an interview with U.K. newspaper Metro last week. The new ice cream would be made with a base of almond or coconut milk rather than cows' milk, he was quoted as saying.

It follows an online petition asking for dairy-free options that was signed by more than 27,000 people.

Related: Ice cream giant going artificial growth hormone-free

The manufacturer prides itself on responding to customer wishes. It has already released three flavors of ice cream that were suggested by fans and proved to be enormous hits: Cookie Dough, Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia.

"When it comes to a non-dairy alternative to ice cream, we think our fans are onto something there, too," Ben and Jerry's said in a statement.

The company's "Flavor Gurus" are still working on the non-dairy flavors, which will go on sale in the U.S. in April 2016, followed shortly by the U.K.

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