Whether they are in search of energy or refreshment, consumers no longer need to wait for the coffee to brew or the tea bag to steep. An abundance of ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea options is on call to quench their collective thirst.
With convenience ever top of mind with consumers, RTD coffee and tea spell opportunity for dairy and other food and beverage processors. In fact, dollar sales within the combined RTD shelf-stable coffee and tea categories reached $7,680.6 million during the 52 weeks ending Sept. 5, 2021, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI (U.S. multi-outlet w/c-store: grocery, drug, mass market, convenience, military, and select club and dollar retailers). That represents a 9.3% dollar sales increase over the previous 52-week period. On the refrigerated side, dollar sales climbed 13.1% during the same timeframe to reach $2,662.5 million.