On the nondairy beverage front, the ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea category has been throwing some well-placed hooks and jabs. Sales in the total category, including refrigerated and shelf-stable offerings, rose 11.5% during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 12, 2018, to $1.8 billion, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI.
They might not be sold hot, but ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea are sizzling when it comes to U.S. sales. Dollar sales for the convenience-minded category jumped 5.1% during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 12, 2018, to reach $6.3 billion, according to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI.
Tea and ready-to-drink (RTD) tea achieved estimated sales of $6.7 billion in 2012, according to Chicago-based market research firm Mintel. And sales are expected to grow to nearly $8 billion by 2014, said Douglas Rash, group vice president of global sales for Treatt, Lakeland, Fla., citing statistics from Rockville, Md.-based Packaged Facts.