GUWAHATI, June 1 � Americans are also developing a taste for tea and the US fast food chains are taking advantage of this, said the North Eastern Tea Association quoting a Daily Mail report prepared on the basis of the reports of several American newspapers and journals.
The report said domestic tea sales in the US have gone up 32 per cent up since 2007, and are expected to reach $ 18 billion in the next two years. Coffee retailers like Starbucks and fast food chains like McDonald�s are investing in more tea products in order to cash in on the newly lucrative business, the report said.
It needs mention here that drinking coffee in the morning has remained almost inseparable from the daily American routine for quite a long time. But the Ad Age news report said tea may be catching up with coffee as America�s new favourite drink, said the Daily Mail. Consumer market research by the NPD group shows that the tea industry is experiencing a moment of staggering growth.
Growing five per cent in the past year, tea is now the fourth fastest growing beverage category according to Beverage Marketing Corp, the report said.
Starbucks currently sells Tazo tea through a deal with Pepsi Co., but recently it also bought tea chain Teavana.
Tea's increasing popularity means it is growing at a faster rate than coffee. While coffee consumption increased 1.9 per cent between 2003 and 2013, tea consumption by the average American increased 22.5 per cent � and is expected to rise another 3 per cent in the next five years according to IBISWorld, the report said.
