Dubai: People in the Arab world drink 15 billions cups of tea per annum. With a population of roughly 300 million, this translates to 50 cups per person per annum tea consumption in the Arab world
The total value of the tea market in the GCC is 200 million euros (Dh906) and tea consumption in the UAE is worth 48.5 million euros, according to statistics made available by Unilever.
Iain Potter, vice-president of marketing for Unilever North Africa Middle East), said, "The tea category in the GCC is continuing to experience solid growth. This is remarkable given that approximately 15 billion cups of tea are currently drunk in Arabia per annum."
The GCC remains an important target market for coffee and tea outlets because of the increasing number of multinational coffee chains setting up operations in the region; the large number of expatriates and the region's relatively high disposable incomes, which are collectively driving demand for various coffee and tea products and services. In the UAE alone, tea consumption in 2009 achieved a remarkable increase of 47 per cent to 4,227 tonnes, while the annual coffee consumption has reached 3.5kg per person, which is even higher than the UK's 3kg per person.
"While across the GCC 92 per cent of this is the traditional black tea, the remaining 8 per cent is accounted for by speciality or added value tea's [green tea, flavoured and speciality tea] which people are increasingly gravitating towards," he said.
"While black tea will continue to remain the dominant format for the foreseeable future, it is the speciality teas that are expected to drive value growth of the category."
Organisers of the Middle East Coffee and Tea Convention, meanwhile, announced that the convention will return to Dubai this year with an improved and expanded format following its debut in 2009.
Organised by the Speciality Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and International Conferences and Exhibitions (IC&E), the Middle East Coffee and Tea Convention, formerly known as the Speciality Coffee and Tea Convention, will be held at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel from October 12 to 14.
New produc: Fusion coffee
Starbuck plans to sell vanilla, caramel and cinnamon-flavoured coffee in US grocery stores beginning in June. The coffee, called Natural Fusions, will be available in 11-ounce packages at a suggested retail price of $8.99 (Dh33), the Seattle-based company said in a statement yesterday.
About 60 per cent of Starbucks customers drink flavoured coffee, Chief Marketing Officer Annie Young-Scrivner said in the statement. The coffee chain, led by Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz, is expanding sales of products including packaged beans and bottled lattes to help revive revenue, which fell 6 per cent in the year ended September 2009. Starbucks also has started selling its Via powdered coffee through more locations, introducing the product in Japan last month. Schultz, 56, said then that Via sales will top $1 billion worldwide. The company reported first-quarter results in April that exceeded analysts' projections, bolstered by Via and more visits from customers.
— Bloomberg
