A nice cuppa

The Eco Refill packs are available in Smooth Roast, Rich Roast and Decaf variants and come in 150g re-sealable bags

The Irish love of tea is legendary, and statistics show we’re becoming a nation of coffee-lovers also – 37th in a list of 181 countries in fact. Gillian Hamill reports.

Brand Central

14 September 2010

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At a glance: HOT BEVERAGES

A total of €78 million worth of tea is sold by retailers across Ireland every year
The Irish drink 3.5kg of coffee beans per capita each year according to 2008 statistics from the World Resource Institute. This puts us at 37th in a list of 181 countries
By the end of 2011, it is estimated that chocolate-based hot drinks will account for over 35% of the hot beverage category
Barry’s Tea continues to be the nation’s favourite Irish tea, accounting for 40% of all tea sales in Ireland
Involvement in the Rainforest Alliance Certified farms initiative, has attracted an extra 70,000 households to the Kenco brand and delivered the fastest growth in instant coffee last year (TNS Jan 2010)

An impressive €78 million worth of tea is sold by retailers across Ireland every year, according to a recent Irish Times report. Irish people clearly have a strong affinity for tea – just a decade ago, Ireland had the highest per capita consumption of tea in the world, at 3.2kg per person per year – or fur cups each every day.

However now the Irish clearly have a grá for coffee also. We drink 3.5kg of beans per capita each year according to 2008 statistics from the World Resource Institute. This puts us at 37th in a list of 181 countries. Hot chocolate is another clear Irish favourite, while NPD across the entire category – in packaging, flavours, blends, Fair Trade and strong environmental credentials – has kept consumer engagement high.

Carte Noire, distributed by Kraft Foods, is a deeply aromatic blend, made with 100% pure arabica beans

Sustainability a step further

Kenco, distributed by Kraft Foods, believes it continues to lead the way in innovation in the premium coffee market. The brand’s initiative with the Rainforest Alliance, sourcing 100% of beans for the freeze dried range from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, has proved highly successful, attracting an extra 70,000 households to the brand and delivering the fastest growth in instant coffee last year (TNS Jan 2010).

Continuing the momentum into 2010, Kenco has taken its commitment to sustainability one step further by launching the Eco Refill bag; bringing innovative packaging to the hot beverages category. The Eco Refill bag reduces the amount of packaging weight by 97%, offering the consumer a more environmentally friendly and convenient way to buy coffee. The Eco Refill packs are available in Smooth Roast, Rich Roast and Decaf variants and come in 150g re-sealable bags, offering the consumer better value for the same great Kenco coffee taste (per gram of coffee each 150g Eco Refill pack has 97% less packaging weight and a lower RRP than Kenco’s 200g and 100g jars.)

Kenco has an ongoing heavyweight “97% Less” campaign across TV, press, poster and print throughout Ireland.

Butlers Hot Chocolate is distributed nationwide by Richmond Marketing with a recommended retail price of just e3.95

Affordable luxury

Butlers Hot Chocolate is an innovative and superior hot chocolate offering that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike, according to Butlers. By the end of 2011, it is estimated that chocolate-based hot drinks will account for over 35% of the hot beverage category.

The unique chocolate “cups” are designed to produce a rich and smooth premium hot chocolate drink when stirred into a pan of hot milk. A recipe leaflet can be found inside each pack with suggestions for different variations of the hot chocolate drink.

Butlers Hot Chocolate has enjoyed a successful track record since its launch in 2008. Butlers Hot Chocolate is supplied in handy point of sale merchandising boxes and has a striking visual appeal on shelf. It is distributed nationwide by Richmond Marketing and with a recommended retail price of just €3.95, is a true affordable luxury. Email chocolate@butlers.ie for more information or see www.butlerschocolates.com/hotchocolate

Guaranteed a golden moment

Iconic Irish brand, Barry’s Tea is blended to specifically suit the Irish palate and continues to be the nation’s favourite Irish tea, accounting for 40% of all tea sales in Ireland.

Consistently producing the highest quality teas for over 100 years, Barry’s Tea ensures that tea fans are always guaranteed a Golden Moment, whether its enjoying Barry’s Tea main range or its specialty tea blends.

Barry’s Tea has recently added South African Rooibos and Pu-erh Tea to its popular Specialty range which also includes Organic Peppermint; Organic Camomile; Very Berry, Orange and Cranberry, Lemon and Ginger; Organic Green Tea, Green Tea and Lemongrass, and Green Tea and Jasmine. Both South African Rooibos and Pu-erh Tea are high in antioxidants and can be enjoyed at any time of the day as part of a healthy lifestyle. For more information on the specialty range and a €1 coupon visit www.barrysspeciality.ie.

As popular online as it is in people’s homes Barry’s Tea has over 17,000 fans on Facebook and seamlessly belongs in the digital space. Creating golden moments on social media platforms also including Twitter, Flickr and YouTube, Barry’s Tea continues to evolve the way it connects with its tea lovers.

To find out more about the full range of quality teas in the Barry’s Tea portfolio visit www.barrystea.com, www.facebook.com/barrystea, or www.twitter.com/barrysteatweets.

Record gold winner

Bewley’s is one of Ireland’s best known brands with a rich history and world class coffee and tea expertise. It all began in 1835 when Charles Bewley shipped 2,099 chests of tea directly from China. In daring to be sold bold, he signaled the end of the East India Tea Company’s monopoly and changed the taste of a nation. Following this Bewley’s was officially founded in 1840 and then expanded into coffee, first as merchants, then opening their immensely popular Grafton Street Café.

Today Bewley’s is the market leader in the roast and ground coffee category in Ireland. The company recently won a record 11 gold medals at the 2010 Great Taste awards, winning more medals than any other tea or coffee company that participated in the competition. Bewley’s was also unique among Irish tea producers as all four teabag varieties currently available in Irish supermarkets, Original Blend, Gold Blend, Special Blend and Decaffeinated Blend all won gold.

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