Tea market analysis in Poland
Our market analysis shows that although its history goes back to ancient times, tea is still the second most popular drink in the world, with more than 3 billion cups drunk every day in 160 countries. The tea market keeps growing, driven by new trends and by consumers turning to healthy habits and diets that favour natural, organic and healthy products.
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How much tea is consumed in Poland?
The average Pole uses about 1 kg of dried tea a year, which equals about 80 litres of brewed tea per person.
Poland has a long tradition of drinking tea. The Polish word herbata already appears in the 18th century in Benedykt Chmielowski's encyclopaedia Nowe Ateny, where the infusion is described as “herba the” – a blend of the Latin herba, meaning herb, and thea, the name then used for tea. For a long time, however, it remained a fairly niche drink. After the partitions, Polish tea habits were strongly influenced by Russian culture, including brewing tea in a samovar. Tea only became widespread at the beginning of the 20th century, as its price fell.
Today Poland is one of the countries with high tea consumption. The average Pole uses about 1 kg of dried tea a year, which equals about 80 litres of brewed tea per person. For comparison, average consumption in Germany in 2024 was 67.2 litres, of which a large share – 40.1 litres – was herbal and fruit infusions.
The European tea market remains a large and mature category. Its value in 2025 was estimated at about USD 19.9 billion. Germany is still the largest market, accounting for about a quarter of sales value in Europe.
02
How much tea does Poland import compared with other EU countries?
In 2025 Poland imported about 33.1 thousand tonnes of tea, ranking second in the EU after Germany, which brought in about 40.2 thousand tonnes.
Poland's importance on the European market comes not only from high consumption. The country is also one of the largest importers of raw tea and an important link in European tea trade.
In 2025 the European Union imported about 125.4 thousand tonnes of tea from non-EU countries. The largest suppliers were China, with about 23% of import volume, Kenya and India – about 17% each – and Sri Lanka with about 15%.
| Country | Imports (thousand tonnes) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| China | 29.2 | 23% |
| Kenya | 21.9 | 17% |
| India | 20.9 | 17% |
| Sri Lanka | 19.2 | 15% |
Among EU countries, Germany ranked first by import volume, bringing in about 40.2 thousand tonnes of tea in 2025. Poland was second with about 33.1 thousand tonnes, followed by the Netherlands – 15.5 thousand tonnes, Ireland – 8.9 thousand tonnes and France – about 7 thousand tonnes.
High imports do not mean that all the tea brought into Poland is consumed in the country. A large share of the raw material is processed, blended, flavoured and packed, and then exported again.
03
What role does Poland play in tea packing and exports?
Poland does not grow tea but is a key centre for processing and packing it, and Polish tea exports were worth about USD 278.6 million in 2025.
Poland does not have a climate suitable for growing tea on an industrial scale, but it has built a strong position in tea processing and packing. Polish companies import raw tea mainly from large producing regions such as Kenya, India, China and Sri Lanka, and then prepare products for both the domestic market and export.
According to Eurostat, in 2025 Poland was one of the most important tea exporters in the European Union. Exports to non-EU markets were worth about EUR 120.8 million, which put Poland first in the EU by value of tea sales to third countries.
Total Polish export volume was about 20 thousand tonnes, split fairly evenly between EU and non-EU markets.
Globally, Polish tea exports were worth about USD 278.6 million in 2025, or roughly EUR 247 million. In 2024 the figure was about USD 265.2 million, which put Poland slightly ahead of Germany, whose exports were about USD 263 million.
Poland's position is therefore unusual: the country does not grow tea, but it remains one of Europe's key centres for processing, packing and further distribution.
04
What tea do Poles buy?
Poles mostly buy black tea, which accounted for about 42% of category sales value from March 2024 to February 2025, ahead of fruit teas (17%) and herbal teas (14%).
Black tea still clearly dominates the retail market. According to NielsenIQ, from March 2024 to February 2025 it accounted for about 42% of category sales value. Fruit teas were second with 17%, and herbal teas third with 14%.
The sales channel also matters. Almost half of the tea market's value, about 49%, goes through discount stores. This shows that despite growing interest in the premium segment, the market is still built on mass sales of everyday products.
According to a 2025 eLeader study, Lipton and Herbapol were the most visible brands on store shelves. Together they held on average about a quarter of shelf space. By the end of the year the five largest brands took almost half of the available display space.
The market is therefore fairly concentrated, although smaller segments based on quality, specialisation and more conscious consumer choices are developing alongside it.
| Brand | Share of shelf space |
|---|---|
| Lipton | 15.6% |
| Herbapol | 10.33% |
| Teekanne | 6.74% |
| Big-Active | 5.96% |
| Dilmah | 5.72% |
| Bifix | 5.53% |
| Loyd | 3.28% |
05
Who drinks loose-leaf tea in Poland?
According to TGI data in the report Kawa i herbata 2025, 30.8% of surveyed consumers drank loose-leaf tea, valuing leaf quality, taste, aroma and the way the tea is brewed.
One of these segments is loose-leaf tea. It is still much smaller than tea bags, but it attracts consumers who care more about the quality of the leaves, taste, aroma and the way the tea is brewed. According to TGI data quoted in the report “Kawa i herbata 2025” (Coffee and tea 2025), 30.8% of surveyed consumers drank loose-leaf tea. At the same time, the share of people drinking it every day was growing.
Sensory features remain key when choosing a product. In a survey of Polish consumers, 94.9% of respondents named taste as an important criterion and 71.7% named aroma. In the premium segment, leaf quality, natural ingredients, blend composition, origin of the tea and the choice of less common varieties matter more and more.
Green tea has a special place. Across the whole market it is far behind black tea, but it fits the health trend and the interest in more specialised products. In specialist shops, premium teas, single-origin products and less common varieties also play a bigger role than in mass retail.
There is a clear split between the mass market, based mainly on classic black tea, and the specialist segment, where quality, variety and the experience around the product count.
06
How does the tea market in Poland compare with coffee and matcha?
According to Euromonitor International, tea accounted for PLN 3.9 billion of Poland's hot drinks market, worth about PLN 11.9 billion in 2024, while coffee accounted for about PLN 7.4 billion.
The tea market is growing among an increasing number of competing drinks. Coffee remains its main rival. According to Euromonitor International, the whole hot drinks market in Poland was worth about PLN 11.9 billion in 2024. Coffee accounted for about PLN 7.4 billion and tea for PLN 3.9 billion.
NielsenIQ data show that from October 2024 to September 2025 the value of coffee sales grew by almost 13%. The growth came mainly from higher prices, which rose by about 15% on average, while sales volume fell by about 2%. Volume growth continued mainly in coffee beans and capsules, helped by the rising popularity of home espresso machines and more advanced brewing methods.
Matcha is also becoming more important. In recent years this powdered Japanese green tea has moved beyond a small group of enthusiasts and is now found in cafés, restaurants and on social media. According to an IQS survey for Pyszne.pl, 16% of Poles tried it within a year, and 28% of people aged 18–24.
Matcha's popularity also affects the market for traditional green tea. Growing demand is leading some Japanese producers to switch plantations from sencha to tencha – the leaf used to make matcha. This limits the supply of some classic green teas and pushes their prices up. Traditional tea also competes with yerba mate, guayusa, kombucha and a wide range of herbal and functional infusions.
07
What trends are changing the tea market in Poland?
Premium products, green teas, functional blends and products with a clearly stated origin are gaining importance, as are new formats such as bubble tea, matcha, iced teas and ready-to-drink products.
The most important changes on the market concern not so much consumption growth as the way consumers see tea. Premium products, green teas, functional blends and products with a clearly stated origin are becoming more important.
At the same time, tea is more and more often moving beyond the classic cup of hot tea. Bubble tea, different kinds of matcha, iced teas and ready-to-drink products are gaining popularity. Younger consumers in particular increasingly treat drinks as part of an experience, a lifestyle and food culture.
The market is also prone to fast-changing trends. A good example is ube – a purple yam from Filipino cuisine. In 2026 it began to appear in drinks and desserts as another heavily promoted ingredient, often paired with matcha, although unlike matcha it contains no caffeine.
08
What is the outlook for the tea market in Poland?
The Polish tea market remains a large and stable segment of the drinks market, growing in value. Its nature, however, is becoming more varied. On the one hand, sales are still based on classic black tea, sold mainly through large retail chains and discount stores. On the other, premium, green, loose-leaf and functional teas and new ways of drinking tea are gaining importance.
Poland also has a special position in the European supply chain. It is one of the largest tea importers in the EU, but also an important centre for processing, packing and exporting tea. This is why the domestic market should be analysed not only in terms of consumption, but also as an important part of international tea trade.
The main challenge for producers and distributors will be to reconcile two different directions of market development: staying competitive in the mass, price-driven segment while making use of growing interest in quality, naturalness, product origin and new consumer experiences.
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Source: MarketHub, "Tea market analysis in Poland", markethub.pl, 10.2026