Convenience stores see a `healthy' drinks market

As more people look for ways to combat bulging waistlines and pursue attractive body curves, health-oriented tea drinks are set to become the mainstream in this year's beverage market, convenience store operators said yesterday.

"An emphasis on healthy features has been a major trend in many kinds of commodities. This tendency is especially evident in the tea-drinks market this year," said Vivien Hsu (徐崇嵐), a public relations official at President Chain Store Corp (統一超商), which runs the world's third-largest 7-Eleven franchise.

Hsu said beverage makers Young Energy Source Co (YES, 悅氏) and AGV Products Corp (愛之味), simultaneously launched you qie, or "oil cutting," green tea (油切綠茶) this year, claiming that the fiber contained in the drink will help reduce fat levels.

Vedan Enterprise (味丹企業) also plans to introduce "bamboo charcoal green tea" late this month to target health-conscious consumers, Hsu added.

Bamboo charcoal, known as "black diamond" by Japanese, can be used to filter water, as a deodorizer, or to make rice and soup more flavorful.

According to statistics compiled by market research firm ACNielsen Taiwan, the nation's ready-to-drink tea market was worth NT$18.3 billion (US$580 million) during the 12 months ended February, rising 1.4 percent year-on-year.

Among the various tea flavors, green tea has enjoyed steady annual growth of 3.5 percent. Some 195 million liters of green tea was consumed over the same period, taking a 33.5 percent market share in terms of sales. In contrast, black tea and flower tea revenues showed two-digit declines.

Esther Lin (林翠娟), a public relations official with Taiwan FamilyMart Co (全家便利商店), said that in addition to health concerns, offering new flavors and functions can help drive up green-tea sales.

"Young people are easily bored with products, which propels manufacturers to invent novel varieties to stimulate sales," Lin said.

This market trend has produced another rising star — green tea blended with fruit juice. Lin noted that following the launch of passion fruit green tea in 2003, plum green tea, launched last year, become the next hit, helping to boost growth in the fruit tea market by over 90 percent.

As an observer of the development of Taiwan's packaged tea beverage market over the past five years, Lin said tea products have evolved from single flavors offered in the initial stage to the more recent emphasis on where

the tea leaves have come from.

Looking ahead, the market is expected to follow the lead of Japan, with health-related elements in tea drinks that can help combat obesity and high blood sugar dominating the market, she said.