Beverage Industry logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Beverage Industry logo
  • NEWS
    • R&D News
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Products
    • Reader's Choice Poll
  • CATEGORIES
    • Alternative Drinks
    • Beer
    • Bottled Water
    • Cannabis Beverages
    • Carbonated Soft Drinks
    • Energy Drinks & Shots
    • Juice & Juice Drinks
    • Plant-Based Beverages
    • Sports Drinks
    • Tea and Coffee
    • Wine & Spirits
  • R&D
    • Beverage R&D Features
    • Ingredient Spotlight
  • PACKAGING
    • New Packages
    • Packaging Equipment
    • Packaging Material
  • OPERATIONS
    • Distribution
    • Plant Focus
  • TOP LISTS
    • Beer Market Report
    • Executive of the Year
    • State of the Beverage Industry
    • Top 100 Beverage Companies
    • Truck Report
    • Wholesaler of the Year
  • MEDIA
    • eBook
    • Podcast
    • Polls
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • DIRECTORIES
    • Annual Manual
    • Contract Packaging Guide
    • Take a Tour
  • MORE
    • Classifieds
    • Channel Strategies
    • eNewsletters
    • Events
      • Membrane Technology Forum
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Market Insights
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archived Issues
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Market Insights

Tea innovation creates new drinking occasions

Products focused on unique dayparts encourage consumers to view tea differently

By Sarah Theodore
June 20, 2011
Chart from pg 110

In the tea category, some of the most unique new innovations are not just offering consumers new flavors, but creating entirely new drinking occasions for tea as well. “Breakfast tea” has been a common tea variety for years, but some tea companies are creating new drinking occasions with products targeted at other specific times of day. Tea Forté Herbal Retreat Teas, for example, are going after the cocktail hour, while the Republic of Tea’s Cuppa Chocolate Teas are designed as dessert drinks.

Tea Forté’s Herbal Retreat products are promoted as “naturally caffeine-free, organic relaxation teas,” but not of the sink-into-a-hot-bath variety. These teas are formulated for cocktail time and feature flavors such as Blueberry Merlot, Cherry Cosmo, Mojito Marmalade and Apricot Amaretto. Likewise, the Republic of Tea’s Chocolate Red Velvet, Strawberry Chocolate and Coconut Cocoa red tea blends take their cues from cakes and other sweets and are positioned as dessert teas.

Both of the products hail from the U.S., but the concept also is being used in other markets. In Japan, Suntory introduced an After-Meal Luxury Oolong Tea last fall for after-dinner occasions. Poland’s Loyd Tea found inspiration in the alcohol market for its Mulled Wine Teas in Raspberry, Cherry & Raspberry, Forest Charm and Citrus Mulled Wine varieties.

In a market crowded with health claims, the idea of placing tea in drinking occasions that previously were reserved for alcohol or sweet treats can help new teas stand out and help increase tea consumption overall.

Dessert For Dieters

Certain tea varieties already are strongly associated with specific times of day. Nearly half of U.S. tea drinkers, for example, say freshly brewed hot tea is consumed as a morning beverage. Similarly, more than half of herbal tea drinkers in the U.K. say they make a good evening drink. The new teas are expanding those associations with references to desserts or to alcohol drinks.

Chocolate-flavored teas make the easiest connections to dessert occasions. As tea products have far fewer calories than hot chocolate, they also can be positioned as healthier dessert alternatives. The Republic of Tea products, for example, have no sugar or calories. Even if consumers decide to sweeten the products on their own, they can decide which sweeteners to use and how much.

The ability to indulge in sweets is important to consumers who are watching their weight. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers who are trying to manage their diet say it is important to treat themselves occasionally to stay happy. That number is 12 percent higher for women than men (78 percent versus 66 percent), which offers even further opportunities to target specific consumer groups.

In addition, consumers report their most frequent dieting challenges as missing out on a delicious taste, feeling deprived and feeling left out when others are enjoying food.

That’s not to say dessert teas have to be marketed as “diet” products. In fact, that would detract from their indulgent profile. But tea-makers certainly have an opportunity to emphasise that their indulgent flavor comes without calories and sugar, and that consumers can choose the products guilt free.

Foodservice Opportunities

As indicated in the figure to the left, a third of consumers say one of the challenges to dieting is finding something healthy to eat at restaurants. A quarter of U.S. consumers currently order either hot tea or iced tea in restaurants, and expanding the tea menu to dessert occasions can increase those rates.

In addition, consumer research in the U.K. shows many consumers have been unwilling to give up the post-meal coffee purchase, despite recession-related cutbacks in restaurant purchases overall. The ritualistic aspects of the after-dinner coffee or tea could be expanded with menu innovation that emphasizes dessert flavors.

According to Mintel Menu Insights, when consumers are asked which menu items they would like to see more of, smaller desserts and bite-sized desserts are cited by nearly a quarter of fine-dining consumers.

The desire for small dessert items in restaurants speaks to consumers’ need to treat themselves, even if it is just a taste of something decadent. Dessert teas could be paired with these scaled-down items or added to dessert menus as indulgent flavor options that offer a taste of something sweet as an alternative to a full-fledged dessert. BI

KEYWORDS: organic tea

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Sarah Theodore is a contributor of Beverage Industry magazine. She is a Global Drinks Analyst with Mintel Food and Drink, Mintel International’s research platform dedicated to the food and drink business. She can be reached at stheodore@mintel.com.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla shakes

    Classic flavors provide reliable, consistent results for beverage-makers

    Classic flavors of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry...
    Ingredient Spotlight
    By: Chloe Alverson
  • Free Spirits Instant Bar Bundle

    Lifestyle trends drive growth for non-alcohol category

    As lifestyle trends continue to drive growth for the...
    Alternative Drinks
    By: Lauren Sabetta
  • Younger generation displays unique habits when it comes to beverage consumption

    Generation Z shakes things up in beverage

    Experts share that Gen Z is changing the standard on what...
    Beverage News
    By: Chloe Alverson
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Beverage Industry audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Beverage Industry or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Fourpeople toasting with cocktails made with low-sugar ingredients, celebrating healthier drink options.
    Sponsored byCargill

    What’s Hot in Sugar Reduction: Beverages

  • chocolate milk
    Sponsored byCargill

    Sweetening the Future for Dairy and Dairy-Alternative Beverages

  • woman pouring a drink
    Sponsored byFFP

    Building a Beverage System: Meeting Consumer Demand for Precision Wellness

Popular Stories

halfday sodas

Beverage-makers turn to fiber, prebiotics and more to support consumer needs

Anheuser-Busch Brewing Futures

Anheuser-Busch announces $300 million investment in US manufacturing

PepsiCo + poppi

PepsiCo completes acquisition of poppi

Vote for your favorite new product

Have your say in what makes it to the top this month!
Vote for your favorite new product and help us celebrate excellence.


VOTE NOW!

Events

April 16, 2025

2025 State of the Industry Series: Alcoholic Beverages

On Demand In Beverage Industry’s annual State of the Industry: The Alcohol Beverage Market, analysts at S&D Insights LLC delve into these trends and how they’re shaping the industry.

June 5, 2025

Heat-Resistant Molds 101: Fundamentals and Prevention Strategies for Better Beverage Quality

Learn about the spoilage challenges and operational bottlenecks that ascospores can pose to your quality program if detection is delayed, or worse – not detected at all. Subject matter experts will cover the basics of these bugs and real-world impacts of insufficient quality methods to help you beat the heat … resistant mold.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Retail Coffee Segment

What retail coffee segments will fare well into the next year?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Milk and Dairy Foods Nutrition, Processing and Healthy Aging

Milk and Dairy Foods Nutrition, Processing and Healthy Aging

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Category Focus: Tea sales slow, but innovation is up

    See More
  • Budweiser Zero's Team Zero

    2021 Beer Report: Non-alcohol beer market taps into mindful drinking occasions

    See More
  • Up Close With... Numi Organic Tea

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • water.jpg

    Microbiology of Drinking Water: Production and Distribution

  • GlobalData_logo_blue_header.png

    Alcoholic Beverage Innovation - COVID-19 Case Study

  • GlobalData_Consumer.jpg

    Where Next for Bottled Water? Exploring consumer trends and innovation opportunities in bottled water

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • June 13, 2024

    Sipping on Innovation: Discover New Functional Ingredients for the Future of Beverages

    On Demand Functional beverages are one of the hottest trends in health & wellness. Now, consumers are demanding more function from their functional beverages. To do this effectively, we’ll need highly innovative beverage friendly ingredients that are backed by solid clinical science.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Elevate your expertise in the beverage marketplace with unparalleled insights and connections.

Join thousands of beverage professionals today. Shouldn’t you know what they know?

JOIN NOW!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing