Tea and ready-to-drink (RTD) tea achieved estimated sales of $6.7 billion this year, according to Chicago-based market research firm Mintel. And according to Rockville, Md.-based Packaged Facts, sales are expected to grow to nearly $8 billion by 2014, said Douglas Rash, group vice president of global sales for Treatt, Lakeland, Fla., in a statement.
“As more and more consumers learn the health benefits of various teas, more tea drinkers are constantly coming on board, raising the consumption rate per capita to new heights every year,” says John Wilson, marketing manager for Allen Flavors Inc., Edison, N.J. “RTD teas have followed the same trend from the beginning. This is largely due to convenience, but there are recent trends indicating that functional teas, which include vitamins, additional [epigallocatechin gallate] (EGCG), grape seed extracts, antioxidants and, of course, the comfort of non-tea flavors such as peach, raspberry or superfruits, [are] pushing the consumption rate up as well.