Tea in Ireland

PROSPECTS

Less traditional tea variants see a surge in popularity

Although black tea continued to see retail volume and retail current value growth in 2019, it was much lower than the other categories within tea. Ireland is in the midst of a health and wellness revolution, driven by the continued government focus on the state of the nation’s health.

Ageing population and health awareness support growth of black tea

Ireland has the fastest-growing older population in the EU. The proportion of people aged 85+ is projected to double by the year 2031.

Speciality and organic teas see rising popularity

Ireland’s tea drinkers have historically been relatively slow to change their preferences, but this has been changing in recent years. Premium tea companies such as House of Tea began to thrive in recent years, driven by increased consumer sophistication.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Domestic brands continue to dominate due to Irish brand nationalism

Lyons and Barry’s Tea continued to dominate tea in 2019, despite increased pressure in the non-black tea space. Although Lyons is now part of Unilever Group, it retains its physical presence in Dublin, and Barry’s Tea remains independently owned, with its headquarters in Cork.

Leading brands campaign for mental health

Barry’s Tea remained the leading brand in tea in value terms in 2019, followed by Lyons from Unilever Ireland, with both brands maintaining stable value shares. Both companies also collaborated with leading Irish charities in 2018 and 2019 to increase awareness of mental health, and in particular suicide; Ireland has one of the highest suicide rates in the EU.

Environmental concerns drive new product development

At the end of the review period there was a huge increase in Irish media coverage of plastics and their impact on the environment. All the main tea bag manufacturers use trace amounts of plastic in their tea bags to help them maintain their shape when boiling water is added, as this helps to diffuse the flavour.

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