Food Processing - October 2007 - (Page 23)

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT snapple takes a page from starbucks in introducing classic black teas in rtd bottles. English Breakfast tea – cold and for lunch? By Hollis Ashman, Jacqueline Beckley and Jennifer Maca, Consumer Understanding Editors T ea trails only water as the most consumed beverage in the world. Iced tea is particularly hot in the U.S., with us drinking 80 percent of all iced tea produced. Tea, both hot and cold, has been increasing in popularity for at least the past 10 years. Besides its taste and thirst-quenching properties, tea is consumed for health benefits, such as antioxidants. The increased number of iced tea offerings further emphasizes the rise in tea drinking popularity – according to NPD Group, servings of iced tea in restaurants have increased 12.5 percent since 2001. Fruit-flavored teas are regaining popularity in both freshly brewed versions and bottled varieties, followed closely by “sweet tea,” a Southern favorite. Another recent trend in iced tea is in organics and varietals, which tie in well with the overall beverage category trend toward “freshness” and “premiumness.” As we reported last year when Pom Wonderful introduced a ready-to-drink (RTD) tea (November 2006 – see www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2006/229.html), the RTD market for iced tea represents one of the largest segments for tea, with more than $700 million in sales. Trends in one category often present innovations in another. Starbucks created interest in specific types www.foodprocessing.com of coffee beans, just as the classic hot tea people had done years before. Why not keep the circle going with the use of specific varietals of black tea for RTD tea? This would help the consumer understand the purpose of the new tea and what to expect. Snapple, which is owned by Cadbury Schweppes, faces some well-funded competition in this category with the likes of Lipton (a partnership between Unilever and PepsiCo) and Nestea (a partnership between Nestle and Coca-Cola), as well as smaller yet relevant brands like Arizona and Republic of Tea. So why not build upon a model like Starbucks and present the consumer with varietals of black tea that have distinctive tastes and suggest the product be used in other parts of the day? Insights Based on our Drink It! Insight, we f ind cold teas are chosen based on taste, aroma and beverage temperature. They are refreshing because they are icy cold, not too sweet and have well-blended f lavors. Teas are of the brown beverage group (coffee, tea and cola), which is the reference point for all beverages. They are consumed across all day parts, october 2007 food processing • 23 http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2006/229.html http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2006/229.html http://www.foodprocessing.com

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Food Processing - October 2007 Contents Editor’s Plate Power Lunch NewsBites Rollout Food Biz Kids Product Spotlight Annual R&D Survey Product Development Plant Operations Packaging New Product Profiles Toops Scoops

Food Processing - October 2007

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