The tea market - Portugal

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Tea, with 1.5 billion cups consumed every day, is the second most widely consumed beverage in the world after water. Established in China, introduced to Japan at the end of the 8th century and part of British culture, tea also occupies a special place in Middle Eastern cultures. The global nature of tea is reflected in the long list of countries where it is consumed.

Tea is a beverage made from the leaves of the tea plant (around 200 species), infused in hot water. Teas are segmented by their colors (black, green, oolong, yellow, white and post-fermented), which differ according to how the leaves are processed. Rooibos or "red tea" is in fact an infusion obtained from the leaves of the Aspalathus linearis, found only in South Africa, and not from the tea plant.

Consumption patterns differ from country to country. In Portugal, tea is mainly consumed in tea bags, and black tea is consumed twice as much as green tea, despite slower growth. 58.6% of Portugal's population drink tea, with consumption strongly segmented by gender, with women's consumption 39% higher than that of men. There is also significant segmentation by income: the upper and middle classes are more inclined to consume tea(76.2% and 70.3% respectively). Lipton occupies a remarkable leadership position in the Portuguese market, holding around half of the market share for teas and infusions.