The tea market - France (2024)

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.

The main tea exporting countries are China, far ahead of its rivals 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 sector recorded a total increase of **% across all sectors, from basic tea bags to high-end teas. 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, down *% on ****. Infusions sales were estimated at ***.* million euros, up *.*% on the previous year.

Sizes of tea and infusion sales France, ****, € million Source: ****

Tea consumption in France has been rising steadily over the past ** years, tripling to *.* billion cups a day. Today, two-thirds of French people claim to be tea lovers. Tea bags are the most popular, consumed by **% of French people[***].

The rise of tea franchises in France bears witness 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 ...

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, whose values have not changed much in six 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 ****.

Main French trading partners:

Main buyers of French tea World, ****, in millions of $ Source: ****

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

Main countries supplying tea to France World, ****, in millions of $ Source: ****

Poland (***) are the three leading tea-supplying countries.

2.1 Les français et la consommation de boissons chaudes

Entre avril **** et avril ****, le marché des boissons chaudes a généré un chiffre d'affaires de *,* milliards d'euros sur l'année.[***]

En termes de volumes de consommation, le café arrive de loin en tête avec ** milliards de tasses de café bues annuellement, suivi par le thé, puis les boissons chocolatées et enfin les infusions.

Volume de consommation de boissons chaudes France, Avril **** - Avril ****, en millions de tasses Source: ****

En ****, près de la moitié des Français déclarent consommer systématiquement du café ou du thé à l'issue de leur déjeuner en semaine.

Part des foyers français prenant du café ou du thé à la fin du déjeuner, en semaine France, ****, en % Source: ****

2.2 La consommation du thé et des boissons non alcoolisées en France

Les Français sont des grands consommateurs de thé. Comme expliqué en partie *.*, deux tiers des Français sont des consommateurs habituels de thé et la consommation annuelle par français est estimée à ***g [***]. Cette valeur reste toutefois inférieure aux trois kilos de thé consommés annuellement par les habitants d'Irlande et du Royaume-Uni. Il est cependant difficile de trouver les chiffres précis de la consommation de thé en France, nous allons donc nous intéresser à la consommation des boissons non alcoolisées en France.

Consommation des ménages en boissons non alcoolisées :

En ****, la consommation des ménages en boissons non alcoolisées (***).

Consommation en boissons non alcoolisées France, **** - ****, en milliards d'€ Source: ****

La valeur de la consommation des ménages en boissons non alcoolisées a connu des variations positives très variables depuis ****, la variation la plus importante datant de **** avec une valeur de *,**%.

Variation annuelle de la consommation en volume de boissons non-alcoolisées France, **** - ****, en % Source: ****

2.3 Les préférences des consommateurs de thé

Dans cette partie, nous explorerons les préférences des Français en matière de consommation de thé, en particulier leur format de thé préféré, ainsi que le type de thé qu'ils privilégient. Nous nous intéresserons également à la fréquence de consommation du thé.

Par format :

Le thé en vrac est le plus répandu en France, avec plus de ***.*** millions de consommateurs en ****, suivi par le thé en sachets et enfin les capsules de thés. 

Consommation de thé par format France, ****, en millions d'utilisateurs Source: ****

Par type :

Les thés à base de fruits ou plantes ainsi que le thé vert sont les types de thés les plus consommés, avec respectivement **.*** millions et **.*** millions de consommateurs en ****. En revanche, les thés plus spécialisés ou les thés plus rares (***) sont bien moins répandus.

Consommation de thé par type France, ****, en millions d'utilisateurs Source: ****

Par fréquence :

Plus de ** millions de Français sont considérés comme consommateurs moyens de thé. Les consommateurs intensifs sont, quant à eux, au nombre de *.*** millions. Et enfin, la France compte *.*** millions de consommateurs occasionnels.

Consommation de thé par fréquence France, ****, en millions ...

2.4 La consommation de thé hors foyer

Si le thé reste avant tout consommé à la maison (***), on estime que les restaurants et salons de thé représentent **% de la consommation de thé.

Lieux de consommation de thé France, ****, en pourcentage Source: ****

Une étude menée par l'European Tea Society a révélé une augmentation significative de la consommation de thé au travail au cours des dernières années. Cette étude indique que près de **% des travailleurs européens ont l'habitude de consommer du thé régulièrement pendant leurs heures de travail [***].

En termes de comportement de dépenses dans les salons de thé (***). 

Budget moyen dans un café ou salon de thé France, ****, en pourcentage Source: ****

2.5 Le thé et le bien-être

Le thé est très largement associé au bien-être et souvent consommé pour ses différentes vertus liées à la santé. En particulier, le thé arrive en tête des boissons considérées comme "détox" par les Français (***). 

Boissons détox préférées France, ****, en % Source: ****

Le thé en France est perçu comme une boisson moderne, bénéfique et naturelle, loin de l'image traditionnelle des salons de thé anglais. La clientèle, principalement aisée, est prête à dépenser plus pour des thés de qualité, des grands crus ou des thés biologiques. Cette tendance est bien comprise par les acteurs du marché du thé en France. La majorité des consommateurs de thé sont des femmes, souvent retraitées, qui disposent d'un pouvoir d'achat significatif [***]

En termes de parcours d'achat, ces boissons détox, dont fait grandement partie le thé, sont la plupart du temps achetées en grandes surfaces (***).

Lieu d'achat des boissons détox France, ****, en % Source: ****

2.6 Les marques de thé préférées des Français

Les graphiques ci-dessous ont été obtenus à partir du sondage mené par OpinionWay au sujet des marques préférées des Français en février ****. Il s'agit des réponses des sondés à la question "aimez-vous telle marque de thé ?", pour chaque marque, le pourcentage correspond à la part de sondés ayant répondu "oui".

Lipton est la marque de thé préférée des Français, **.*% des répondants ont déclaré l'aimer. Kusmi Tea est la marque de thé la moins appréciée, seuls **.*% des répondants ont déclaré l'aimer. 

Les marques de thé préférées des Français France, Février ****, en % Source: ****

Le graphique ci-dessous présente une comparaison du niveau d'appréciation de cinq marques de thé en fonction du genre. C'est pour Kusmi Tea et Elephant que cet écart est le plus conséquent.

Comparaison du niveau d'appréciation de cinq marques de thé, selon le genre France, Février ****, en % Source: ****

La marque Kusmi Tea est la moins appréciée des marques de thé comme le montre le premier graphique, cependant certaines catégories de la population l'apprécient dans des proportions bien plus importantes que la ...

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 mostly 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 focus on 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.

Market share of leading tea brands France, ****, in Source: ****

Market share in France is dominated by the ...

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 wide and varied ranges of industrial tea.

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 large 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 achieved ...

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 has risen from *** in **** to *** in ****, showing steady growth throughout the period, with a more marked increase from ****, representing a **.**% rise over the last five years. Similarly, the number of salaried employees increased from *,*** in **** to *,*** in ****, with a noticeable acceleration in growth from ****, representing a **.**% increase over five years.

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 ...

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 according to 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 ...

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 ****.

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: ****

Production and import price indices are detailed by INSEE and reported in the graphs below. Both indices have fallen slightly following periods of growth, but both show increases in ****.

Import price index for processed teas and coffees France, ****- July ****, index *** in **** Source: ****

Production price index for processed teas and coffees France, ****-June ****, base ...

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.

Main iced tea brands France, ****, in 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 = * free 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