Leading ready-to-drink tea brands in the U.S. based on sales 2023

PureLeaf was the top selling ready-to-drink (RTD) tea brand in the United States in 2023, by a healthy margin. Sales of the beverage exceeded 985 million dollars, compared to competitors Arizona and Lipton who had respective sales of 956 million and 561 million dollars. PureLeaf is a products of the Pepsi Lipton Tea partnership, which includes a portfolio of RTD teas, including Lipton Iced Tea, PureLeaf and Brisk. Both companies were among the most valuable soft drink brands in 2023.

Lipton’s origins

Lipton tea was originally marketed by Sir Thomas Lipton in 1890. Already a successful grocer, Lipton bought tea gardens in Sri Lanka in an effort to provide low-priced tea to consumers. In 1972, Unilever, one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world, acquired Lipton tea. Lipton’s RTD beverages are sold by Pepsi Lipton International, a joint venture between Unilever and Pepsico.

The broader RTD tea market

Total sales of the ready-to-drink tea segment in the United States reached 7.9 billion dollars in 2019. In comparison to ready-to-drink coffee, RTD tea sales growth was subdued, increasing by only 1.1 percent during 2018 to 2019.