The German TEA Market - Teeverband · India tops Germany’s tea charts again More than half of Germany’s tea imports came from India and China; for the second time in succession,

Tea statistics,2018 edition

The tea trend continues

The German

TEA Market

WORLD’S LARGEST TEA EXPORTER

402,883tons

KenyaWORLD’S LARGEST

TEA PRODUCER

China

2,550,000tons

TOP SUPPLIER FOR THE GERMAN MARKET

India

14,517tons

Germany

Tea-Import

53,544tons

from 63 countries

Tea-Export

25,021tons

to more than 100 countries

Source: Federal Statistical Office, Wiesbaden, Germany

Source: AFA Tea Directorate, Nairobi, Kenya Phot

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Source: ITC, London, United Kingdom

Source: ITC, London, United Kingdom

02 • The German Tea Market 2017

Organic tea in demandThere is a clear positive trend in organic tea – more and more tea drinkers in Germany are enjoying tea from certified organic sources. Organic tea increased its share of total consumption by nearly two percentage points to a total of 9.4%.

Out-of-home tea trend continuesMost people in Germany buy their tea at food retailers or discount stores – this is still the major distribution channel, accounting for 51.5%. Tea specialty shops make up 18%, while caterers and out-of-home purchasing account for 5.2%.

India tops Germany’s tea charts againMore than half of Germany’s tea imports came from India and China; for the second time in succession, India was ahead of China in tea sales to Germany. Africa and Sri Lanka followed, each with a little less than 14%.

Kenya leads global tea exportsKenya was the world’s top tea exporter again in 2017, with 402,883 tonnes.

Domestic consumption is upWhile total exports from the tea growing countries were slightly down (by 1.2 percentage points to 31.2%), their domestic consumption rose by a nominal 6% year-on-year.

World star in a cupGlobally, more tea was produced in 2017 than ever before. Tea production hit a new high of just under 5.7 million tonnes, up nearly 4% versus 2016. Following water, tea is by far the most popular and most consumed beverage in the world.

In brief – Tea statistics 2017 in a nutshell

Tea is a top favouriteTea is a hot number in GermanyTea consumption in Germany maintains the record level of previous years. On average, each person in Germany drinks 27.5 litres of black tea and green tea per annum that is almost as much as in 2016.

Strong results2017 was another successful business year for the German tea trade. Germany imported 53,544 tonnes of tea from 63 countries – about the same record level as in 2016.

Black tea is the favourite, green tea remains popularBlack tea remains the favourite of German tea drinkers, even more than the previous year. The market share ratio of black tea was 73:27, compared with 72:28 in 2016.

Tea bags for convenience, loose leaf tea for individual brewingConsumer taste remains unchanged in choice of loose leaf tea versus tea bags – tea bags retain their 40% share of the market, while loose tea still is more popular, with a share of 60%.

Facts and figures

The facts and figures were collected by the German Tea Association, Hamburg, based on its own surveys. Other information used came from the Federal Statistical Office, Wiesbaden, and from the International Tea Committee (Annual Bulletin of Statistics), London (UK).

Unless otherwise indicated, the figures refer to tea in the proper sense of the word (Camellia sinensis). That includes black tea and green tea.

The German Tea Market 2017 • 03

consumption of imported tea was 19,066 tonnes (versus 19,220 tonnes in 2016).

East Frisia leads the tea consumption ratingsFor decades now, East Frisia has been the world record holder in tea drinking with – believe it or not – amazing 300 litres per capita per annum on average; more than ten times as much as the rest of Germany. That eclipses even Britain as a tea drinking nation – British consumption is a third lower, at 200 litres per capita. The East Frisians cherish and protect their national beverage – East Frisian “Teetied”(tea time) is now inscribed in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.

countries around the globe, including all the EU countries and 76 third countries.

Tea trend reflected in per capita consumptionTea consumption in Germany continues at the record level of previous years. Germany’s tea drinkers consumed nearly 18 billion cups of tea in 2017 that is a good 49 million cups per day. On average, each person in Germany consumed 27.5 litres of black tea and green tea that is nearly as much as in 2016. The upward trend continues – per capita consumption in 1990 was around 22 litres only, rising to 25 litres in 2000 and 26 litres in 2010, to set a new record of 28 litres in 2016. German

Strong results2017 was another successful business year for the German tea trade. Despite the relatively warm weather in the first third of the year, tea consumption remained nearly unaffected. Germany imported a total of 53,544 tonnes of tea from 63 countries world wide – about the same as the record figures of 2016.

Processed in Germany, enjoyed worldwideThe tea processed in Germany continues to be very much in demand worldwide. Export sales were just 1.54% short of the outstanding results in 2016. All in all, German companies exported 25,021 tonnes of tea specialities to more than 100

Development of the German tea market in 2017

Tea is a hot number in Germany

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© German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany Source: Federal Statistical Offi ce, Wiesbaden, Germany


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With a yearly average per capita consumption of 300 litres of tea the East Frisians surpass by far the so-called traditional tea drinker nations.(one tea leaf equals ten litres)

Tea Consumption acrossEuropean Countries

In 2017 every German citizen drank about 27.5 litres tea.

Tea on Trend

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Sources: German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany, ITC, London, United Kingdom

Source: German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany

Tea culture has a cult factor Teenies love tea. Currently in the form of tea beverages that give the hottest trend in refreshment. They go for the hip variants, such as ready-to-drink tea from the bottle – organically grown, directly brewed, often with fruity flavours, in sustainable packaging with original design. These beve-rages perfectly fit the fast lifestyle of young urban people – for home drinking or out and about, for sport or chilling.

Tea has a cult factor and is penetrating the market with ever new variations. What variants will the younger generation discover next? Wait and see – and drink tea!

Photo: iStock/Zinkevych

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Photo: gettyimages/ Westend61



After black tea has further developed its popularity among Germany‘s tea drinkers, the current ratio of black tea to green tea is 73 to 27 percent.(data in tons)

27%Green tea

73%Black tea

Ratio Black Tea to Green Tea

Organic tea in demand There is a clear positive trend in organic tea – more and more tea drinkers in Germany are enjoying tea from certified organic sources. Organic tea increased its share of total consumption by nearly two percentage points to a total of 9.4%. In 2016 the share was 7.5%, compared with only 4% in 2007. In fact the share is even higher, because conventional blends often contain some organic tea without being labelled as “organic”.

Tea sold in Germany is excellent in terms of quality and food safety. Manufacturers ensure that by setting high standards for quality and very strict inspections.

popular, with a share of 60%. A ten-year comparison shows that the ratio has remained constant at 60:40.

Tea specialities for loose leaf tea and tea bags come from the same pick, contain the same valuable substances, and have the same quality, but they differ in leaf grade, that is in the defined leaf sizes.

Tea bags use smaller leaf sizes, because the substances in the tea are released faster for a speedier transition into the infusion. So tea bags give more precise dosage for faster preparation. The larger the leaf size, the smaller is the surface area compared with the volume. So loose leaf tea takes longer to unfold fully; it gives tea drinkers more scope for their own combinations or styles of preparation.

Black tea is the favourite, green tea remains popularBlack tea remains the favourite of German tea drinkers, even more than the previous year. The market share ratio of black tea was 73:27, compared with 72:28 in 2016. That means black tea has increased its popularity, following a number of years where green tea was on the rise in keeping with Wellness and Lifestyle trends – in 2004 the ratio was 81:19.

Tea bags for convenience, loose leaf tea for individual brewing Consumer taste remains unchanged in choice of loose leaf tea versus tea bags. Tea bags, the convenience solution, retain their 40% share of the market, while loose tea still is more

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60%Loose leaf tea

40%Tea bags

Ratio of Loose Leaf Tea to Tea BagsTea drank in Germany – whether home or abroad – is consumed with an ratio of 60% loose leaf tea to 40% tea bags.

In 2017, the total German tea consumption of 19,066 tons tea was purchased as shown. In addition, a significant amount of tea is attributable to the processing industry, e.g. tea drinks, cosmetics, etc..

Market Shares of Distribution Channels

20,9 %other channels,

(e.g. Turkish retail stores)

4,4 %Online & Mail Order

5,2 %Catering | Hotels

18,0 %Tea Specialty Shops

51,5 % Retail & Discounter

Out-of-home tea trend continuesMost people in Germany buy their tea at food retailers or discount stores – that is still the major distribution channel, accounting for 51.5%. A considerable proportion of tea drinkers (18%) prefer tea specialty shops, because they still value personal advice and an extensive selection to choose from. 4.4% of consumers have their own fixed taste preferences and use mail order to buy their tea. 5.2% of tea in Germany is sold via caterers and out-of-home outlets – trend drinks such as Tea ’N Tonic and Earl Grey Martini attract the attention of restaurant owners and guests. Tea has become a trend component in the bar and club scene.

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Photos: fotolia/winston



© German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany

Imports by countries of origin 2016 and 2017

Country of origin 2016 2017

in tons in percent in tons in percent

India (Assam, Darjeeling, Dooars, Nilgiri) 14,649.70 25.47 14,517.40 27.11China 13,653.30 23.74 13,029.20 24.33Africa (Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Ruanda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania, Sierra Leone) 8,337.70 14.50 7,333.20 13.70

Sri Lanka (Dimbula, Nuwara-Eliya, Uva) 8,053.20 14.00 7,345.10 13.72Indonesia (Java, Sumatra) 3,955.60 6.88 3,711.60 6.93South America (Argentina, Brazil) 3,544.30 6.16 2,061.60 3.85other Asia (Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thai-land, Turkey)

1,597.40 2.78 2,183.00 4.08

other (re-imports for posterior exports, refi ne-ment processing) 1,483.80 2.58 1,518.00 2.84

EU imports (Belgium, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria) 1,420.50 2.47 1,234.60 2.31

Vietnam 632.40 1.10 414.20 0.77Georgia, Russia 190.50 0.33 196.30 0.37

Total 57,518.40 100.00 53,544.20 100.00

Development of tea imports in 2017

Number one – India tops Germany’s tea charts again

Germany imported some 53,000 tonnes of tea in 2017. More than half of this came from India and China; for the second time in succession, India was ahead of China in tea sales to Germany. Africa and Sri Lanka followed,

each with a little less than 14% (about 7,300 tonnes). Other countries and regions such as Indonesia, South America and Vietnam taken together exported just under 6,200 tonnes of tea to Germany. Germany takes

top position in the world, with an excellent and highly varied range of teas, and at the same time it is a hub of the tea trade. The varieties and flavoured tea specialities are re-exported from here to more than 100 countries.

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Sources: German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany & Federal Statistical Offi ce, Wiesbaden, Germany


© German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany© German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany

Only from China and Indonesia we get more green tea than black tea.

Proportion of Green and Black Tea by Comparison of Countries in tons

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Green tea

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Sources: German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany & Federal Statistical Offi ce, Wiesbaden, Germany

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439,858Kenya

1,278,830India

124,500Indonesia

307,080 Sri Lanka

986,119other countries2,550,000

China

In 2017 China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Indonesia account for more than 80 percent of the world’s tea producti-on. (data in tons)

The Five Most Important Producing Countries

Record level – Global tea production up againGlobally, more tea was produced in 2017 than ever before. Tea production set up a new record of just under 5.7 million tonnes, up nearly 4% versus 2016. Following water, tea is by far the most popular and most consumed beverage in the world. Tea is consumed in every country in the world, in increasing quantities – worldwide annual consumption of black tea and green tea is nearly 4.5 trillion cups.

Kenya leads tea exports againLast year again, the global tea market was dominated by the five top growing nations China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, together accounting for some 80% of production. Kenya was top exporter again in 2017, with 402,883 tonnes. That means tea remains the most important export commodity for Kenya, which only started tea growing at the beginning of the 20th century. China took second place, supplying 355,000 tonnes to the global market.

Sri Lanka was in third place again, at 278,000 tonnes, followed by India, with an all-time export record of 241,000 tonnes in 2017. Indonesialikewise increased its tea exports, to 55,000 tonnes in 2017.

Domestic consumption is upAltogether, the share of exports in the tea growing countries was slightly down (by 1.2 percentage points, to 31.2%), while their domestic consumption rose by a nominal 6% year-on-year.

Development of the international tea market in 2017

World star in a cup

Photos: fotolia/bahram7, fotolia/123levit, fotolia/dikobrazik, fotolia/_panya_, fotolia/ksena32

© German Tea Assocation, Hamburg, Germany Source: ITC, London, United Kingdom


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The German TEA Market - Teeverband · India tops Germany’s tea charts again More than half of Germany’s tea imports came from India and China; for the second time in succession,