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. 

Nondairy beverages mainly cruised down the sales highway this year.

If sales data are any indication, more consumers are saying goodbye to coffee filters, tea bags and the long wait to brew. According to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI, dollar sales within the shelf-stable ready-to-drink (RTD) tea and coffee category shot up 9.5% during the 52 weeks ending Aug. 8, 2021, to $7,647.5 million. Unit sales increased 3.0% to 3,044.1 million.  

Kombucha Town, Bellingham, Wash., said it launched Live Seltzer, a hybrid between two of the fastest-growing and most popular categories in the beverage industry over the last 20 years: functional beverages and seltzers.