Teas are not all black nowadays

The tea market seems to have benefited from the myth that black teas are not as healthy as other types, because attention turned to these other kinds of tea, which opened the door for innovation and development of the tea culture.
The prestige of tea has grown in the past 10-15 years, unlike many other drinks, such as carbonated ones, though mineral water and fruit juices with a high fruit content are also moving in the same direction.
Possibly, a similar trend is also detectable regarding the other major hot-drink category, coffee, where consumer habits are also changing. But not even the coffee market is so full of positive developments as that of tea.
The dominance of black tea is over, green, herbal and fruit teas are coming up, which leaves more room for innovation, brand management and increases profits. Though the market share of black tea is shrinking, it is still the largest. The leading brand in terms of sales in the segment is Lipton. Yellow Label. Green, herbal and fruit teas are becoming more popular as a result of innovation and effective communication by manufacturers in response to the more health-conscious attitude among consumers.
Consumers have become much more conscious than before and this has an effect on their tea drinking habits. Today, tea is not only drunk occasionally, it is consumed consciously for prevention of various health problems. A misbelief about black teas being less healthy than other kinds has also contributed to the market becoming more diverse and colourful, though the fact is that black tea is very healthy.
The manufacturers have also played a major part in changing consumer habits. Their communication and innovations have definitely shaped the market. New products, packaging ideas and advertisements all served to influence consumers. One of the big starts of 2006 was Rooibos, which is quite sweet, which means no sugar is needed and also caffeine-free. All distributors are muscling up in this segment, but half of total sales are made up of Pickwick products, with fruit variants along classic rooibos.
There are new ideas for black tea as well. An example is Fruit Twister, a flavoured tea from Sara Lee.
A HERBÁRIA Zrt. has brought out nearly 50 products for various health problems with bio-herbal teas which are not only sold in traditional channels but also in supermarkets and hyper markets. Twinings, distributed by Maresi Foodbroker has also joined the trend, with an increasing number of herbal and green teas under the label. A speciality for 2006 was Celebration Blend which will only be available till the spring of 2007.
There is still a lot of hidden potential in the market. In the Czech republic, for example tea consumption is 3400 tons compared to only 1400 tons here. People there drink black teas in the morning and fruit teas in the afternoon and that would be the desirable case in Hungary as well. Tea selections with more than one type in the box offer a wider choice for different times of the day. As a result of the tea market becoming more colourful, on-packs are becoming common and package sizes are growing among filter teas, with up to 50 filters in a package.