Tea Market: Why Tea

According to the Tea Association of the USA, Inc, the demand for specialty tea is growing for several reasons:

• Increased promotion of specialty tea in coffeehouses, as well as freestanding tea salons, retailers and catalogue distributors.
  
• Interest in stand-alone tea salons has been increasing for the last several years. The growth in the number of tea salons across America, along with afternoon teas served at restaurants or hotels, also is indicative of new trends toward tea.
  
• Hotels serving Afternoon Tea are commonly found in most major metropolitan areas. Foodservice sales of tea have been growing at roughly 10% a year.
  
• The National Restaurant Association is reporting the increasing importance of tea service in restaurants as customers request more varieties of tea be served with their meals.
  
• Tea's image is evolving from one solely of gentles and ladies "taking tea" to that of a mainstream beverage of choice for today's active, healthier lifestyle. Tea is one of the few beverages that contains no sodium, fat, carbonation or sugar and is virtually calorie-free. And it is economical. When prepared at home, tea costs pennies per serving, cup or glass.

Other factors contributing to the popularity of tea include the following:

• Consumers pursuit of healthy lifestyle choices and acknowledgment of a greater responsibility for the quality of one's own health.
  
• Enhanced knowledge of nutrition and better distribution of this information to the mass market.
  
• Increasing trend to de-stress and simplify one's life.
  
• Greater reliance on natural homeopathic remedies to prevent disease.
  
• Continuing appeal of natural products.
  
• Preference for high quality products offering true value.
  
• Acquisition of affordable luxuries.
  
• Desire for products that go beyond satisfying basic needs of quenching hunger and thirst.
• Increasing sense of adventure and appreciation for foreign customs and cuisine.
• A return to simple pleasures associated with family and home.