Innovation Rules the Day for Tea

Tea continues to be one of the fastest-growing categories in the mainstream beverage set, up nearly 10 percent over the past 52 weeks. A lot of this is being driven by Lipton Pure Leaf and Gold Peak, which has a strong presence in both chilled and ambient areas. Organic entry Honest Tea is up past $50 million and Sparkling Ice Tea is shows here at $14 million but its run rate should put it much higher as the year goes on. AriZona has shaken off its malaise somewhat, and, surprisingly, so has Snapple, up more than 7 percent. Innovation still rules the day, it seems.