Consumers are refining their tastes when it comes to tea. Product launches and sales data suggest that organic positioning for teas and ready-to-drink (RTD) teas are helping to sustain and grow certain aspects of the category. According to Innova Market Insights, Duiven, The Netherlands, 20.9 percent of the 1,966 new products launched in the United States in 2010 for bagged and loose leaf tea carried an organic claim. That percentage was even higher for 157 RTD teas launched last year with 43.3 percent labeled as organic.
Richard Haffner, head of global beverage research with Euromonitor International, Chicago, sees that organic and natural labeling of teas will continue to be a prominent part for the category.