2017 State of the Beverage Industry: Premium, RTD teas drive segment growth
Bagged teas remain stagnant
A natural health halo has been benefiting the tea category as consumers look for back-to-nature, better-for-you and functional beverage options. Although the overall tea market has remained relatively stagnant, category growth largely is a result of the performance of the ready-to-drink (RTD) tea segment, managing director of research at New York-based Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC) Gary Hemphill noted in Beverage Industry’s June issue.
“The overall tea market has been essentially flat, but growth is coming from the RTD category,” he says. “The RTD tea category is experiencing mid-single digit growth driven by the category’s healthy halo, innovation and strong performance in the super-premium segment.”