• by Les Luchter , December 22, 2022

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“Win up to $5,000 to get the gift you actually wanted,” promises Golden Wing barley milk in its new “Dear Badass Santa” sweepstakes, which launched Wednesday morning and runs through Jan. 3.

To enter, consumers are asked to identify an unwanted present received for this year’s holiday as well as one they would like to receive.

Through Venmo or PayPal,10 winners will get $500 apiece and another winner $5,000, from which they’re free to buy their own presents.

All winners will also receive a month’s supply of Golden Wing, which the brand equates with a six-pack of 32-ounce containers.

As for the unwanted presents, Golden Wing said it is encouraging consumers to drop off the gift they didn’t want at a local donation center.

‘Dear BadAss Santa’ is being promoted to consumers via earned public relations, organic and paid social media, and emails to Golden Wing's distribution list.

Golden Wing launched early in 2022, and is currently sold D2C from its own website and Amazon, as well as regionally in such California retailers as Sprouts and Whole Foods,

The drink is not only plant-based, but promises 60% less sugar, 50% more calcium and two times more Vitamin D3 than 2% milk.

Golden Wing was also cited Wednesday morning by Strategic Market Research (SMR) as a key recent development in the booming plant-based milk market, which the research firm said is growing at 15% annually, from $35 billion globally in 2021 to an expected $123 billion in 2030.

Besides barley, SMR noted that Golden Wing also contains water, sunflower oil, pink Himalayan salt, and shiitake mushroom extract.

The plant-based milk market also includes soy (which SMR says now holds 58% of the market), almond, coconut, wheat, hemp, pea and rice milks.

Growth is coming due to such factors as a growing preference for vegan beverages and food, especially among millennials, as well as a growth in lactose intolerance, SMR said.