Tetley brews up more ways to profit from tea

Despite the UK being a nation of tea drinkers, it seems that there is still some way to go for operators to realise its value in foodservice.

Coffee shop culture might be embedded into consumer behaviour but according to the Tetley Tea Report 2018, tea drinking out of home is on the increase, but there are still opportunities when it comes to sales of tea.

The report found that 165 million cups of tea were drunk every day, but that 34% of people who drink tea at home don't consume it while out and about.

The report explored how it's possible to convert some of those tea drinkers to purchasing it out of home too.

Though 75% of the 31.4 million cups of tea consumed out of home each day were black tea, the report found an opportunity for growth in premium teas. Herbal teas have shown 9.6% year on year growth, while 65% of the 2,500 respondents said they would pay more for a premium drink.

Key channels for tea were identified as the workplace, the care sector, cafés and hotels. It said that 47% of employees drink tea every time they are in the workplace, care residents drink on average 2-3 cups per day, and that 52% of hotel guests said that how tea is served was extremely important.

Tetley senior brand manager Marshall Kingston said: "In Tetley's 180th year, we have launched the most comprehensive review of the UK's out of home tea market in the UK. For us the Tetley Tea report is a demonstration our commitment to the continuously evolving tea category and our duty to support operators in serving the perfect cuppa every time.

"The value of tea in the UK foodservice market increased by an impressive 13.6% between 2015 and 2017 with one in five consumers admitting to drinking more tea than they did a year ago. Additionally, as the number of out of home coffee occasions continued to decline in the past year, the out of home tea occasions have grown in the same time period. This presents a key opportunity for channel operators to shake up their tea offering and listen to the needs of their customers."

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