Every month Poles spend more than PLN 140 million on tea. We mostly buy black and fruit teas, while herbal products are also doing quite well in the ranking. The top five in terms of popularity, and therefore sales volume, are closed by Earl Grey and green teas. As consumer habits have not changed over the years, the group of key brands has also remained stable on the Polish market. These include Herbapol Lublin, Loyd and Lipton.

‘Stability is, in fact, a characteristic of the whole tea market which, despite various turbulences in the operation of supply chains, customs wars, growing labour costs and climate changes, is very predictable in its behaviour. Neither the pandemic nor fleeting trends for various beverages have harmed it. It is true that, for several years, the sales and consumption of matcha have been systematically growing, but it is still a kind of tea, so this is actually good news,’ emphasises Sylwia Mokrysz, President of the Coffee and Tea Market Research Institute.

In the article Innovations on the tea market in the face of observed consumption megatrends, published in 2024 in the prestigious Coffee and Tea Marketing Journal, it is highlighted that the tea market is one of the largest markets in the global economy and tea is the second most-consumed beverage, right after water. According to an analysis of data gathered by the authors of the article, in order to meet the needs and preferences of consumers set by those megatrends, tea manufacturers and sellers will have to introduce a number of innovations related to both the core product and other elements of its structure.

‘The year 2026 will mark a transformation on the tea market from a mass category to a conscious choice category. They key challenge is no longer the volume, but the maintenance of the frequency of consumption amid increasing price pressure and changing beverage-related habits among consumers. It is important for tea to become a functional element of the consumer’s life, anchored in their daily routines. It is also essential to combine affordability with a sense of quality and choice. The goal is to form a market where tea does not function as a substitute, but constitutes a legitimate consumer choice,’ says Sylwia Mokrysz.

Matcha – from niche to premium mainstream

The matcha market in Poland and Europe is still in the phase of dynamic growth. Matcha is increasingly used not only as a beverage base, but also in catering and confectionery sectors, where it is an ingredient in desserts, baked goods and modern menu proposals. At the same time, growing prices and the limited supply of raw material from Japan are contributing to the diversification of the sources of matcha origin. In this context, there is a growing interest, in both consumer and catering segments, in matcha originating from China, as its quality is systematically improving. As a result, the product is gradually moving from its narrow niche to the premium mainstream category, as it becomes more available and is, at the same time, perceived as a high-quality everyday product.

A handful of data

According to available data, China remains the largest manufacturer of tea. The second place belongs to India, which manufactured 1.33 million tonnes, and the third is taken by Kenya with 0.54 million tonnes. Other countries of importance in tea manufacturing are: Sri Lanka, Turkey, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Iran and Argentina. It is forecasted that in the years 2025-2030, tea manufacture is to rise annually on average by 2.1% for black tea and even 6.3% for green tea. This huge and dynamically developing market covers not only the hot beverage segment, but also ice teas and ready-to-drink tea beverages.

Polish consumers use more dried tea per capita than, for example, Germans, Czechs, the French, Spaniards or Italians.

Coffee and Tea Market Research Institute

The Coffee and Tea Market Research Institute was established in 2022. Its founders include prof. dr hab. Grzegorz Maciejewski (University of Economics in Katowice), prof. dr hab. Łukasz Wróblewski (University of Economics in Katowice) and Dr Sylwia Mokrysz (Mokate Group). All of which are members of the Polish Scientific Marketing Society (Polish abbreviation: PNTM). The Head of the Programme Council of Coffee and Tea Marketing Journal, a magazine published by the Institute, is a member of the board of PNTM, prof. dr hab. Magdalena Sobocińska. The Institute conducts its operations on an international scale.