Total wholesale tea sales were estimated to amount to 12 billion U.S. dollars in 2016. The tea market comprises four broad segments: ready-to-drink tea (RTD), the traditional market, the specialty segment and the foodservice segment. The RTD category increased consumer penetration over the past years and continues to be the largest market segment. The leading RTD tea brands were Arizona, Lipton Pure Leaf, and Gold Peak in 2017.
Although coffee is often thought of as America’s preferred beverage, tea has proven itself to be vastly popular as well. A 2017 survey among U.S. consumers showed that 23 percent of respondents drink tea every day, while only ten percent never drink tea at all. Industry experts expect the entire tea market to grow over the next years. Increasing health awareness among shoppers, new flavors and the demand for convenience are seen as major growth opportunities.
