Sector Outlook 27/28: Tea
Published 22 October 2026
Adele Brinkyte
The global tea industry is innovating across hot and cold formats, responding to wellness trends such as stress relief and gut health while tapping into consumer curiosity about culturally rooted flavours from around the world. Tea makers are also partnering with supplement, food, cosmetics and hospitality brands, drawing on tea's calming qualities and depth of flavour to reach new audiences.
Tea Brands Serve Up Global Flavours
Health-Optimizing Herbals
Iced Tea’s Lifestyle Refresh
Tea brands are tapping into consumers' appetites for culinary exploration, with 51% of global consumers seeking cuisines from other countries (Innova Market Insights, 2026). Discovery-led campaigns and culturally rooted tea varieties offer drinkers an affordable way to travel through taste. Read more about trending global flavours in Future Flavours Forecast 26/27: Global Flavour Escapism.
Tea brands are tapping into consumers' appetites for culinary exploration, with 51% of global consumers seeking cuisines from other countries (Innova Market Insights, 2026). Discovery-led campaigns and culturally rooted tea varieties offer drinkers an affordable way to travel through taste. Read more about trending global flavours in Future Flavours Forecast 26/27: Global Flavour Escapism.
Brands have been infusing tea with prebiotics, adaptogens and other functional ingredients to create brews that support holistic wellbeing. While functional tea offerings are evolving alongside wellness trends, particularly through partnerships with the supplement industry, brands are also increasingly tapping into tea’s innate wellness qualities, such as stress and digestive relief. For more on wellness tea trends, read Sector Outlook 26/27: Tea.
Iced tea is evolving to meet consumer demand for flavour-forward treats and non-alcoholic alternatives. While some brands are blending tea with beer and juice, others are leveraging cross-category partnerships to reach new audiences.
Sector Outlook 27/28: Tea
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Sector Outlook 27/28: Tea
The global tea industry is innovating across hot and cold formats, responding to wellness trends such as stress relief and gut health while tapping into consumer curiosity about culturally rooted flavours from around the world. Tea makers are also partnering with supplement, food, cosmetics and hospitality brands,...