Tea Industry Stats

Next to water, tea is the world’s most consumed drink.
Canadians drink almost 9 billion cups of tea each year.
In 2007, the per capita consumption of tea in Canada was 61.4 litres.

That equates to 270 cups for each Canadian.
In terms of Litres, Regular still dominates but Specialty Tea is gaining share of the category and driving growth.

The dramatic growth in Specialty is fuelled primarily by Green Tea which increased almost 20% versus last year.
In 2007, the Canadian tea market was worth about $388 million.

Approximate provincial breakdowns:
Ontario $161 Million
Quebec $ 57.5 Million
Maritimes $ 25 Million
Man + Sask $ 30 Million
Alberta $ 59 Million
BC $ 55 Million

Specialty tea ($92,567,911) now outpaces regular tea ($88,826,995) sales in dollar volume.
At the National and regional level, the Total Tea category has experienced strong growth versus the previous year, which is being driven by Iced Tea Mixes as well as RTD Iced Tea.

This trend is consistent with consumers' need for more convenient choices.

Restaurants in Canada served 351,644,000 cups of Hot Tea in the past 12 months (May 2006 – May 2007)

Hot Tea sales at Restaurants in Canada were approx. $527,466,000* in the past 12 months (May 2006-May 2007)

Restaurants served 266,826,000 cups of Regular Hot Tea and 84,783,000 cups of Specialty Hot Tea
Household purchases of tea are growing faster among households who associate Hot Tea with health benefits (up 5.2% in 2007 vs. 2006)

5.5% of all perceived healthy meal occasions include Hot Tea

Hot tea is the #3 “perceived healthy” beverage after tap water and diet soft drinks.

(last update: May 15, 2008)