The tea market - France (2025)

1.2 The global tea market

The global tea market was estimated at $**.** billion in ****, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.**% to ****.

Global tea market size projections World, **** - ****, in $ billions Source: ****

Global demand for tea is growing, driven by recognition of its health benefits over soft drinks or coffee. Elements such as flavonoids and antioxidants in tea help to improve health, particularly for conditions such as arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

This growth is also being driven by rising incomes and a shift in consumer preferences towards healthier products. Specialized iced teas and teas enriched with natural ingredients such as basil and tulsi are gaining in popularity. Manufacturers are responding to this trend by diversifying their offerings.the growing interest in organic teas and herbal teas also reflects a preference for products based on natural ingredients, which should continue to boost the tea market.

By ****, the leading tea exporting countries will be China, far ahead of its pursuers with almost $*.*** billion in export value, Kenya (***).

Main tea exporting countries World, ****, in millions of $ Source: ****

conversely, the main tea importers in **** are Pakistan (***).

Main tea importers World, ****, in millions of $ Source: ****

1.3 French market sees more moderate growth

Tea, the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, has experienced significant growth in France over the past ** years.

The tea and infusion beverage sector was estimated at *** million euros in ****, representing an annual growth rate of **.**%.

In ****, tea sales were estimated at *** million euros, up *.*% on ****. Infusions sales were estimated at *** million euros, up *.*% on the previous year. [***]

Sales figures for the teas and infusions sectors France, ****, € million Source: ****

The growth of tea franchises in France is testimony to the French people's growing appreciation of tea, particularly top-of-the-range, grand cru, organic and fine French teas. Kusmi Tea, for example, now has ** stores in France. Green teas, known for their antioxidant benefits, seem to be the French favorite, although black and fruit teas also remain popular. Specialized tea outlets strive to provide a unique customer experience, in line with the profile of the typical French tea consumer, who gravitates towards high-end products[***].

1.4 France, a major importer of tea

Unsurprisingly, France is a major importer of tea.

French tea imports and exports France, **** - ****, in $ millions Source: ****

There is a marked imbalance between French imports and exports, the values of which have not changed much in seven years.

evolution of the coverage rate France, **** - ****, in Source: ****

The French coverage rate, the result of the quotient of exports over imports, has remained relatively constant over six years. It reached a low of **% in ****, before rising to **% in ****. In ****, it continued to rise, reaching **.**%.

Main French trading partners:

Main customer countries France, ****, in millions of dollars Source: ****

The top seven countries buying French tea include five European countries and two non-European countries, including Japan and the United States. The biggest buyer is Belgium (***).

Main supplier countries France, ****, in millions of dollars Source: ****

The top three tea-supplying countries are Germany (***).

2.1 The French and hot beverage consumption

Between April **** and April ****, the hot drinks market generated sales of *.* billion euros over the year[***]

In terms of consumption volumes, coffee leads by far, with ** billion cups of coffee drunk annually, followed by tea, then chocolate drinks and finally infusions.

Consumption volume of hot beverages France, April **** - April ****, in millions of cups Source: ****

In ****, almost half of French people say they systematically drink coffee or tea after lunch on weekdays.

Percentage of French households drinking coffee or tea after lunch, weekdays France, ****, in % Source: ****

2.2 Tea and soft drinks consumption in France

The French are major tea consumers. As explained in section *.*, two-thirds of French people are regular tea drinkers, and annual consumption per French person is estimated at ***g[***]. This figure is still lower than the three kilos of tea consumed annually by people in Ireland and the UK. However, precise figures for tea consumption in France are hard to come by, so we're going to look at the consumption of soft drinks in France.

Household consumption of non-alcoholic beverages:

In ****, household consumption of non-alcoholic beverages (***).

Consumption of non-alcoholic beverages France, **** - ****, in € billions Source: ****

The value of household consumption of non-alcoholic beverages has seen highly variable positive variations since ****, with the most significant variation dating from **** with a value of *.**%.

Annual change in volume consumption of non-alcoholic beverages France, **** - ****, in Source: ****

2.3 Tea consumer preferences

In this section, we explore the tea-drinking preferences of the French, in particular their preferred tea format, as well as the type of tea they prefer. We'll also look at the frequency of tea consumption.

By format :

Loose tea is the most widespread in France, with over ***.*** million consumers in ****, followed by tea bags and finally tea capsules.

Tea consumption by format France, ****, in millions of users Source: ****

By type :

Fruit, herbal and green teas are the most widely consumed types of tea, with **.*** million and **.*** million consumers respectively in ****. On the other hand, more specialized or rarer teas (***) are much less widespread.

Tea consumption by type France, ****, in millions of users Source: ****

By frequency:

Over ** million French people are considered average tea consumers. Intensive consumers number *.*** million. And finally, France counts *.*** million occasional consumers.

Tea consumption by frequency France, ****, in millions of users Source: ****

2.4 Out-of-home tea consumption

While tea is primarily consumed at home (***), it is estimated that restaurants and tea rooms account for **% of tea consumption.

Places where tea is consumed France, ****, in percent Source: ****

A study conducted by the European Tea Society has revealed a significant increase in tea consumption at work in recent years. The study indicates that almost **% of European workers are in the habit of drinking tea regularly during working hours[***].

In terms of spending behavior in tea shops (***).

Average budget in a café or tearoom France, ****, in percent Source: ****

2.5 Tea and well-being

Tea is widely associated with well-being, and often consumed for its various health-related virtues. In particular, tea tops the list of beverages considered "detox" by the French(***).

Preferred detox drinks France, ****, in Source: ****

Tea in France is perceived as a modern, beneficial and natural beverage, far removed from the traditional image of English tea rooms. The mainly affluent clientele is prepared to spend more on quality teas, grand crus or organic teas. This trend is well understood by the players in the French tea market. The majority of tea consumers are women, often retired, with significant purchasing power[***]

In terms of purchasing patterns, these detox drinks, of which tea is a major part, are mostly bought in supermarkets (***).

Place of purchase for detox drinks France, ****, in Source: ****

2.6 France's favourite tea brands

The graphs below are based on OpinionWay's survey of French people's favorite brands in February ****. These are respondents' answers to the question "Do you like this or that brand of tea?"; for each brand, the percentage corresponds to the proportion of respondents who answered "yes".

Lipton is France's favorite tea brand, with **.*% of respondents saying they liked it. Kusmi Tea is the least popular tea brand, with only **.*% of respondents saying they liked it.

France's favorite tea brands France, February ****, in Source: ****

The graph below compares the level of appreciation of five tea brands according to gender. The gap is widest for Kusmi Tea and Elephant.

Comparison of ratings for five tea brands, by gender France, February ****, in Source: ****

The Kusmi Tea brand is the least appreciated of the tea brands, as the first graph shows. However, certain categories of the population appreciate it in much higher proportions than the average French person. The typical prol of a Kusmi Tea enthusiast would therefore be a woman, aged between ** and **, belonging to the upper or lower socio-professional category and living in south-west France.

The categories most attracted to Kusmi Tea France, February ****, in Source: ****

3.1 Value chain

Source: ****

The tea industry's value chain is a complex process that transforms tea leaves into a beverage. It begins with the cultivation and harvesting of tea bushes, followed by a series of meticulous processing stages - withering, rolling, oxidizing and drying - that define the tea's aroma and quality. The tea is then carefully packaged and distributed, passing through a network of wholesalers and retailers to reach the consumer.

Marketing plays a key role in informing and attracting consumers, while the consumption phase itself varies greatly according to culture and individual preferences. Along the way, support services such as R&D, training and quality certification guarantee the excellence and sustainability of this global market.

3.2 Different types of player

There are many different players in the French tea market. These include

national brands: these are usually owned by large industrial groups specializing in mass distribution. Leading brands include Lipton and Elephant, both owned by Unilever, and Twining and La Tisanière, members of the Foods International group; Private labels: as with all consumer goods categories, retailers have their own tea brands; tea houses: the main tea houses in France are Kusmi Tea, Palais des Thés and Mariage Frères. These tea houses are positioned in a more premium segment of the tea offer, both in terms of the product itself and the services offered around it. These houses emphasize the art of tea tasting, with recommendations for preparation (***) or specialized courses in the art of tea; players specializing in organic or natural tea: the tea market is seeing the emergence of a large number of new players, still small in most cases, who have often drawn their growth from digital technology and specialize in the organic or natural tea segment. These include companies such as Chic des Plantes and Happy Plantes.

The market share of tea brands in France is dominated by the world-famous Lipton (***).

Market share of leading ...

3.3 A competitive market dominated by international players

The tea market is highly competitive in France, where most of the major multinationals, such as Unilever, Twinings and Douwe Egberts, are present and offer a wide and varied range of industrial teas.

As the graph below shows, tea is mainly sold by the major brands of international groups, which offer a wide range of inexpensive products:

Most popular tea brands France, ****, in millions of consumers Source: ****

With the exception of herbal teas (***), the top of the ranking is held by the major groups who offer their products in supermarkets, and who mostly attract consumers who are not very initiated and who consume tea more or less regularly. Kusmi Tea also occupies an interesting place, having won over a significant number of customers thanks to an advanced marketing strategy that enables them to play on both the quality of the product and its accessibility in supermarkets.

In ****, the tea market generated sales of *** million euros, up *.*%. Growth was driven by organic tea, which rose by **% to **.* million euros, while conventional tea fell by *.*% to ***.* million euros. Lipton (***).

Organic tea market share France, ****, in Source: ****

The green tea segment saw the greatest growth, with an increase of *.*% and a penetration of **%. Lipton ...

3.4 Tea-related processing and trading activities

Tea and coffee processing:

Here, we consider data supplied by INSEE for activities registered under NAF code **.**Z"Tea and coffee processing".this activity has been enjoying renewed dynamism in recent years, with growth in the number of establishments and employees

Establishments registered under activity **.**Z France, ****-**** Source: ****

The number of establishments rose from *** in **** to *** in ****, showing steady growth throughout the period, with a more marked increase from **** onwards. Similarly, the number of salaried employees rose from *,*** in **** to *,*** in ****, with a notable acceleration in growth from **** onwards.

Sales for the **.**Z activity France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****

Sales in the tea and coffee processing business have fluctuated in recent years. It rose moderately until ****, reaching *.*** billion euros, then fell slightly to stabilize at around *.* billion euros until ****. By ****, sales have resumed their growth to reach *.*** billion euros, peaking at *.*** billion euros in ****.

Wholesale of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices:

We consider here the data provided by INSEE for activities registered under NAF code **.**Z " Wholesale of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices"Wholesale of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices". This activity has also seen a recovery since the early ****s.

Establishments registered under activity **.**Z France, ****-**** Source: ...

3.5 Mainly Asian production

Tea does not undergo any processing, but its preparation requires several stages, generally carried out close to the plantations. most tea is produced on large farms in Asia: in China, India and Sri Lanka, it is destined for large agri-food companies.

Market share of tea-producing countries World, ****, in Source: ****

There are also numerous plantations, some of them very small, that produce very high quality teas. These can be compared to the very finest French wines, both in terms of rarity and price.

The main stages in the manufacturing process include :

picking: meticulous and traditional, hand-picked by expert pickers. They carefully select young leaves and buds, rich in flavor and aroma. Performed early in the morning or at specific times of the year, this essential stage captures the quintessence of the plant, reflecting the cultural richness of the tea-producing regions; withering: freshly harvested leaves are spread out and left to dry. This process reduces their water content, making the leaves more pliable for subsequent stages. This delicate phase is essential to prepare the leaves for oxidation and to influence the aromatic profile of the finished tea; desiccation (***): this involves drying the leaves completely to stop oxidation. This process stabilizes the tea's aroma ...

4.1 A varied offer based on several types of tea

Green tea, which is less oxidized than black tea, is produced using manufacturing methods that differ according to where it is grown. In China, for example, large copper basins placed over a fire are used to heat the leaves, while in Japan, the leaves are briefly steamed before being rolled[***].

Black tea

Westerners actually call black tea what is known as red tea (***) in China, because of the color of the infusion. The leaves, on the other hand, are black, which can lead to confusion, especially as the term red tea is now often used to refer to the special category of rooibos[***].

Unlike green tea, black tea is fully oxidized, which means that more steps are involved in the manufacturing process. In the case of green tea, the first wilting stage is used to shape the leaves, whereas in the case of black tea it is used to accelerate oxidation by breaking the leaves[***]. The leaves are then fermented, enriching black tea with theaflavins (***) and reducing its theine content compared to green tea.

Yellow teas

These are teas of Chinese origin, finer than the average, and often the rarest of teas. Very delicate, they undergo a gentle steeping process and ...

4.2 Price trends in the tea market

Tea prices:

Like all agricultural raw materials, tea is subject to the globalized price logic that governs trade. We consider here the data provided by INSEE: the price of tea can be highly variable, and prices can thus fluctuate greatly from one month to the next. Between **** and ****, the price declines steadily. But in ****, the average annual price per kg of tea rises again, from $*/kg in **** to $*.*/kg in ****, then to $*.*/kg in ****, before declining slightly to $*.*/kg in ****.

Imported raw material prices - Tea - Mombasa Kenya France, ****-****, in US dollars per kg Source: ****

Tea (***) price trends:

The tea salon business is highly dependent on the price of tea, a key component of the product range. The consumer price index for teas and infusions in France has varied unevenly over the past ten years: after peaking in **** at ***.** (***).

Consumer price index for teas and infusions France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****

The two graphs below show the import price index (***) for processed teas and coffees in France from **** to ****, with a base of ****. The import price index shows relative stability until ****, before a notable rise, peaking at ***.* in ****, followed by a slight drop in **** to ***.*.

The producer price index, ...

4.3 A booming new segment: refreshing tea drinks

In addition to tea itself, numerous tea-based beverages are making their appearance on the soft drinks market.all the major players are trying to gain a foothold in this booming market: Danone (***), not to mention Pepsico's Lipton Ice Tea and Coca Cola's Nestea or Honest Tea. This new segment is helping more and more consumers to become accustomed to the taste of tea, and is gradually building up a new customer base.

The major tea manufacturers, such as Lipton and Kusmi Tea, have entered the battle for tea-based beverages.

PepsiCo took over Lipton Ice tea in **** and gave it a new lease of life, expanding the range with "Green Iced Tea" in addition to its flagship product, Lipton Ice Tea. In partnership with Evian (***), Kusmi tea has launched an infused water, sold for €*.** per **cl bottle.

According to the graphs below, French consumers are more likely to buy the iced tea brands available in supermarkets and hypermarkets, notably Lipton and Fuze Tea.

Number of iced tea consumers, by brand type France, ****, in millions of consumers Source: ****

Main iced tea brands France, ****, thousands of consumers Source: ****

5.1 A lightly regulated market

According to the Syndicat du Thé, there are three regulations governing the tea market in France.

The first is the decree of October *, **** on the repression of fraud in the sale of commodities such as coffee, tea and chicory. This prohibits the sale under the name of "tea" of any plant other than the leaves and young shoots of the Thea Chinensis species.

The second is the Code of Practice for Iced Teas, dating from ****. This strictly delimits the products that can be designated as "iced tea", which is what tea extract is, as well as the products that do not fall within the scope of this designation.

The third is Decree no. **** *** of August **, ****, which separates the marketing of herbal infusions and gives pharmacists a monopoly, with the exception of ** plants.

5.2 The EGAlim law

The EGAlim law, or Loi pour l'équilibre des relations commerciales dans le secteur agricole et une alimentation saine et durable, passed on October *, **** and promulgated on November *, ****.

The objectives of this law are as follows:

Relaunch the creation of value in agriculture and agri-food and ensure its proper distribution Enable farmers to make a living from their work Support the transformation of production models to meet consumer needs and expectations Promote consumer choices in favor of healthy, safe and sustainable food[***]

Food quality and safety are thus at the heart of this new law. The following is a non-exhaustive list of measures relating specifically to food safety:

Developing quality labels and organic farming Implementing effective surveillance to identify and assess risks (***) Strengthen government control resources and powers Strengthen European coordination in the fight against food fraud[***]

This law also aims to guarantee farmers a higher level of income by more strictly controlling promotional practices in supermarkets. The key measures are

A maximum **% discount on the original selling price The disappearance of promotions such as * bought = * offered The introduction of a resale-loss mark-up of at least **% above the purchase price

6.1 Segmentation

• Kusmi Tea
• Le Palais des Thés
• Pages Infusions
• Les jardins de Gaïa (MAKA)
• Herbissima
• Thés de la Pagode
• Comptoirs Richard
• SCOP-TI
• George Cannon
• La Route des Comptoirs
• La compagnie coloniale
• Betjeman & Barton
• Comptoir Francais du thé
• JDE France (Jacobs Douwe Egberts)
• Lipton (Unilever)
• Tetley
• Twinings Foods International
• Yogi Tea
• La Tisanière
• Les 2 Marmottes
• Thés Éléphant (Scoop TI)
• Etienne Coffee & Shop
• Unilever Groupe
• Nestlé Groupe
• Maison Bourgeon
• Ethiquable
• Dammann Frères (Illy Group)
• Maison Lagrange
• Coffea
• Ecotone Groupe (Alter Eco, Bjorg, Bonneterre)
• Mariage Frères
• Orientis - Løv Organic