Hershey is rolling out its plant-based chocolate line, Oat Made, across Canada, aiming to satisfy a growing audience with a product that it hopes will have massive appeal.

Oat Made is launching in two flavours: creamy, and almond and sea salt. The bars are made using oat flour instead of dairy, and are 100% vegan and non-GMO Project Verified. They also contain no artificial flavours.

They are intended to be the candy maker’s answer for the almost three million vegetarians and vegans Statistics Canada has identified across the country – and for the one in three Canadians who are reducing or eliminating animal-based products from their diet, according to the Ontario Produce Marketing Association.

“Plant-based lifestyles have been on the rise for a while now,” explains Carly Cowman, marketing manager for the Hershey’s brand. “At our core, Hershey’s is about offering moments of sweetness to Canadians – it was important to us to extend that offer to everyone.”

The bars are the result of a process that has been several years in the making, Cowman says, with the brand working to “perfect and test the formula” to give it broad appeal to all Canadians who are seeking a vegan alternative to Hershey’s dairy-based chocolates.

“It was extremely important to us to ensure that Oat Made keeps the same smooth and creamy taste and texture that Hershey is known for,” says Cowman. “I think we nailed it.”

The bars are available in major retailers now, and the launch is being supported through October with an integrated campaign, led by Craft, that includes PR and influencer. In-store merchandising and POS will follow in November “to drive awareness and trial of the innovation,” Cowman says.