FMCG Innovations and Trends by Sophia Nadur

Wessanen 's purchase of Clipper Tea in 2012 was a good fit from the start given both companies' ethical credentials. If a recent BBC investigation into ethical practices among leading British tea brands is true (link to BBC story HERE ) , this M&A may hurt  Pukka Herbs ' clean image among millennials. However, the bigger issue in my view is the impact on growth of the $5bil European tea category in the mid-term given increasing retail market dominance by one company (Unilever also owns Liptons, PGTips, Pure Leaf, T2, Lyons among other tea brands). Link to article on Unilever's acquisition of Pukka HERE .

The global ready-to-drink tea market reached 37 billion liters in 2016: up 40% since 2011, and market consultancy Zenith Global predicts this impressive growth is set to continue with global consumption expected to reach 45 billion liters by 2021 (growing 7% per annum). Increased consumption has been driven by consumers’ rising health awareness, with RTD teas offering an attractive alternative to carbonated soft drinks. In Asia – by far the biggest market for RTD teas – functional benefits are also a key characteristic of the market. RTD teas will continue to evolve with exotic flavors and more sophisticated offerings. But the category will also face increased scrutiny over its health positioning, with some RTD teas containing as much sugar as carbonated soft drinks. Tg green tea, a new British brew, is set to take on global behemoths in the race to healthify the category. www.drinktg.com

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one of the best “preventative medicine” steps we can take. The founder of medicine, Hippocrates, said in 400 B.C. “ Let medicine be thy food and let food be thy medicine ” and for centuries doctors,  dietitians, nutritionists, and nutritional therapists  everywhere have talked about the role that food plays in health and how you feel on a day to day basis. Dr Hua He  and I are two co-founders of a British based startup that is on a mission to encourage healthier lifestyles across Britain and the world. Hua has worked for many years in the medical field to research and develop new drugs that can make sick people better (or at least ease some of the symptoms of illness). She was born in China and grew up with the traditional health & wellness knowledge of Green tea and other fruit & botanicals that had become part of everyday life in the “Middle Kingdom” for over 4,000 years. Green tea was known since anc...

Today, store shelves are filled with drinks that entice us with sugar and empty calories.  Even drinks that claim to be good for us are all too often high in sugar or filled with artificial ingredients.  Worse, many “new age” drinks come from unfamiliar and unsustainable sources.  And as for the drinks that really are healthy? Sadly, many of them do not taste great. This is what drove Hua & I to create Tg green teas in London, in 2015.  With our own savings, a few grants and buckets of passion, knowledge and tenacity, we developed a range of drinks that are tasty and low in sugar, so low in sugar that each drink wears proudly a "green" nutritional traffic light.  We also based our drinks on green tea, a leaf that has been refreshing and nourishing folks for thousands of years. It's no surprise I guess that we have already won a number of UK & international innovation, quality, and design awards for our drink concept.  Awards are ni...