Hot Drinks

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

In 2023, tea repeated its success from the previous year by yet again achieving a strong retail value growth rate and continuing on a path towards full recovery in retail volume terms following the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Significant…

Lithuania has a solid coffee-drinking culture, and its popularity far outweighs tea drinking. Traditionally, tea was normally consumed as an addition to the daily intake of hot drinks. However, its popularity waned across the review period as the…

Tea edged towards stagnation in retail volume terms in 2023, in contrast to its more dynamic performance earlier in the review period. In general, Latvia is a coffee consuming country, meaning that tea has more of a niche presence. In addition, there…

Black tea recorded the fastest value growth in 2023 due to the rising popularity of premium and speciality black teas. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for high-quality black teas sourced from specific regions, with unique flavours, such as the…

Other hot drinks recovered moderately in retail volume terms in 2023, having seen a continuous decline in the COVID-19 crisis and during the immediate post-pandemic period. The impact of the high rate of inflation was felt on the unit prices in the…

Other hot drinks registered positive retail volume growth in 2023, unlike tea and coffee. After a small decline in 2020, demand for other hot drinks has recovered, with positive volume growth recorded from 2021. Children returning to school has…

Other hot drinks retained a relatively niche presence in Lativa in 2023, with little interest on the part of consumers and retailers. Other plant-based hot drinks led retail volume and value sales, due to the popularity of barley-and chicory-based…

Other plant-based hot drinks showed the fastest volume and value growth in other drinks in 2023. As more Estonians adopt vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based diets due to environmental concerns or dairy allergy/intolerance, the demand for alternatives…

Hot drinks achieved minimal retail volume growth and strong retail value growth in 2023 amidst rising unit prices and the broader impact of inflation. The recovery of hot drinks sales through foodservice continued during the year and the channel…

In 2023, while retail value growth was positive in hot drinks, boosted by high price points, retail volume declined for the third consecutive year. Economic uncertainty continued to shape purchasing decisions, with consumers readjusting their budgets…

Retail volume sales of hot drinks in Latvia saw a static performance in 2023, as the high rate of inflation weighed heavily on consumer spending. With consumers forced to spend more on utilities and food, they shifted away from premium brands and…

Hot drinks in Estonia increased in both value and volume terms in 2023 due to the growing emphasis on healthy living, which has encouraged consumers to opt for beverages that not only satisfy their thirst but also contribute to their overall…

In 2023, coffee achieved very strong off-trade value growth. Whilst retail volume growth was moderate, significant unit price increases across all coffee categories, including the largest ones such as standard fresh ground coffee, led to a…

Retail volume sales of coffee in Lithuania declined in 2023 for the third consecutive year. While the landscape is saturated, economic uncertainty hindered volume sales, as rising price sensitivity and ongoing inflation reduced disposable incomes. In…

Retail volume sales of coffee saw a stagnant performance in 2023, as the high cost of living affected consumer purchasing behaviour. Forced to spend more on utilities and food, Latvians shifted away towards more affordable products. The market also…

Fresh coffee recorded the fastest volume and value growth in 2023 due to the rising demand for natural products. As coffee is the most popular hot drink in Estonia and thanks to the growing emphasis on healthy living, Estonians are willing to pay…

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, health awareness among consumers has heightened in Slovenia. This has driven growth in the tea landscape in Slovenia, with green tea, and herbal teas, being fast-developing area. Continuing this trend, in 2023,…

The escalation in prices coupled with a decline in disposable income has adversely affected the sales of tea in 2023 within Serbia. Additionally, as consumers gravitate towards a return to their pre-pandemic lifestyles, spending more time outside…

Other hot drinks witnessed steady volume growth in 2023, which mainly consists of chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks for children. However, in recent years, category players have been making efforts within chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks…

The return of consumers to pre-pandemic lifestyles has triggered intensified competition with on-trade establishments. With consumers spending more time outside their homes and seeking on-the-go options, on-trade sales are experiencing slower growth…

Hot drinks in Slovenia enjoyed steady volume growth in 2023, despite the upward pressure on prices as inflation remained above normal levels. Coffee is the not only the largest category in hot drinks, but it is experiencing a surge in popularity in…

In 2023, the consumption of hot drinks in Serbia faced a slowdown due to rising prices and a decline in disposable income. Consumers responded by reducing consumption volumes, shifting towards more affordable brands, opting for private label…

Whilst fresh ground coffee is the dominant choice in Slovenia, instant coffee is gaining popularity from a lower volume base. In 2023, instant coffee mixes are the fastest growing product in the category driven by the convenience trend. Instant…

The substantial rise in coffee prices has decelerated the growth of coffee volume sales in Serbia. Notably, only coffee pods have experienced an upward trend, primarily due to an expanding consumer base and relatively lower market maturity. The…

Like most products, sales of tea suffered heavy losses in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine which led to a large number of consumers fleeing the country as well as a loss of territories. Sales were also impacted by temporary stock shortages…

Chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks was one of the hardest hit categories by Russia's invasion of Ukraine with sales plummeting in 2022. This is due in large part to the fact the key target audience for these products are kids, many of which left…

Sales of hot drinks were significantly impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 with sales plummeting as large numbers of people fled the country in search of safety. With Russia’s war continuing in 2023 the population remained significantly…

Coffee is by far the most popular category within hot drinks in Ukraine but the category has seen heavy losses since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sales plummeted in 2022 as large numbers of consumers fled the country while foodservice sales were…

The growth in retail volume for tea in 2023 resulted from affordable prices and perceived health benefits, with tea aligning with the rising interest in health and wellness among consumers. As such, players marketed their teas as improving immunity…

The growth of other hot drinks in 2023 resulted from consumption changes noted during COVID-19, when working from home and studying from home became the norm. During this time, chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks, targeting children, saw an…

Rising inflation and the heightened cost of living in Romania in 2023, negatively impacted retail volume sales of basic food and drinks, including hot drinks. Coffee sales were particularly challenged, with negative retail volume sales, as the unit…

Coffee registered a retail volume decline in 2023, with retail value sales growth being the result of rising unit prices, high inflation and increasing costs for energy, transport and logistics. In addition, the price of the raw coffee bean grew,…

The picture is much rosier for tea than coffee in 2023, with healthy volume and constant value growth expected. Within foodservice, volume growth is even healthier, reaching the double-digits, and boosted by increasing numbers of foreign tourists, as…

Other hot drinks is expected to register healthy constant value and positive volume growth in 2023. Within foodservice, volume growth is very healthier, reaching the double-digits, and boosted by increasing numbers of foreign tourists, as well as an…

Hot drinks is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023, though volume sales are expected to decline, driven by a poor performance in coffee. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high…

While coffee remains the most popular hot drink in Georgia in 2023, it is expected to register retail volume decline for the second year in a row. Significant price hikes is dampening volume sales, with consumes also trading down to cheaper brands.…

Amid a highly inflationary climate, informing higher production and logistics costs, unit price growth propelled retail current value sales of tea in 2023. However, the residual economic fallout of COVID-19 and high inflation towards the end of the…

Tea fares better than coffee in 2023, with a slight increase in volume sales. However, this is mainly due to it being a much less mature product. That being said, continuing rising prices is still hitting profit margins and constant value sales are…

Price promotions and discounts reigned supreme among marketing activities as Slovak consumers exhibited thrifty shopping behaviour in 2023. Selective shopping encompassed a prioritisation of essential goods in an attempt to save money, or simply a…

Other hot drinks is expected to register slight volume growth in 2023. That being said, continuing rising prices is still hitting profit margins and constant value sales are expected to fall. Ongoing population decline also dampens sales somewhat.…

In 2023, hot drinks’ performance was impacted by a number of factors, with divergent or opposing effects on categories. For example, cocoa commodity price hikes created upward pressure on retail unit prices in other hot drinks, driving up value…

Overall, retail volume sales for hot drinks are expected to fall marginally, due to a slight fall in volume sales for coffee, which is by far the most popular hot drink in Croatia. The picture is not much better for tea and other hot drinks, with…

Retail current value sales of coffee were driven by sharp rises in average current unit prices towards the end of the review period, as the prices of commodities and production and supply costs increased substantially. This led to thriftier shopping…

Croatians love their coffee, but it is a mature product with little room for growth. Also, in 2023, with prices still rising, this puts a further dampening effect on coffee, with both volume and constant value sales expected to fall. Continuing…

Tea registered stable volume growth in 2023, aided by its popularity in Poland where it is widely consumed. Retail volume growth has slowed, however, with consumers facing higher prices in the tea category as part of a broad rise in the cost of…

In response to rising prices and decreasing incomes, Bulgarian consumers are increasingly favouring local tea brands over international ones. This preference is driven by the perception that local brands offer higher quality at more affordable…

The picture is positive for tea in 2023. Current value growth is expected to register a double-digit increase, as price continue to rise. However, constant value growth is also expected to register a moderate increase, as is volume growth. Tea still…

Other hot drinks continues to face the threat of high inflation in 2023, with pressure on costs resulting in further price rises. Consumers are seeking more budget-friendly options in this category, with a shift away from premium and gourmet hot…

In Bulgaria's other hot drinks category, chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks maintains the largest volume share despite facing several challenges. These challenges include declining birth rates and a growing consumer preference for low-sugar…