Tea Business News

Fifth edition introduces tea segment amid surging demand, building on record of over 50% onsite sales conversion from previous show. Kuala Lumpur, 30 March 2026 — As Southeast Asia’s café sector experiences explosive growth, the International Café and Beverage Show (ICBS) returns for its fifth edition from 7-9 May 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, offering brands and suppliers a proven platform to capture their share of one of the region’s fastest-expanding markets

With record-breaking numbers and a renewed global outlook, HOST Milano 2025 once again confirmed its position as one of the world’s leading exhibitions for hospitality, foodservice, and beverage innovation. Held at Fiera Milano, the 2025 edition delivered impressive scale and international reach. According to the official post-show report, the exhibition welcomed 2,235 exhibitors from 57 countries, across 16 halls, attracting 183,000 professional visitors from 156 countries.

Taiwanese bubble tea made a splash in the UK, with bubble tea stores popping up in cities and high streets everywhere in the last 14 years. What’s the drink’s secret to success?

Born in Kuwait, built on authenticity, and scaling through innovation, Karak Tea is redefining how the world experiences the region’s most iconic brew. Karak is not just tea in the GCC—it is identity. Strong, creamy, spiced, and unmistakably bold, it fuels mornings, anchors conversations, and defines roadside café culture across the Gulf. Today, that ritual is no longer confined to traditional teahouses. It has evolved into a fast-growing commercial category—and Karak Tea, bo

Single-origin purity, unmatched freshness, and a purpose-driven philosophy have positioned Dilmah as the undisputed leader in the region’s tea service. In the GCC’s competitive hospitality landscape, excellence is measured in details. And few details matter as much as what is served at the table, in the lounge, or in-room—where a simple cup of tea can either feel forgettable or refined. Dilmah has mastered that difference. Today, Dilmah holds an estimated 60% market share in

Much of the conversation around matcha rising prices and limited availability has focused on the GCC, but conversations with Japanese producers at Gulfood 2026 confirmed that the shortage of the product is global and far from resolved. For distributors, retailers, and hospitality operators, the situation underscores the need for transparent sourcing, clear grade differentiation, and realistic menu planning.

The presence of tea products at Gulfood 2026 in Dubai reflected an industry that is both consolidating its core offerings and experimenting with new formats to meet evolving hospitality needs. As operational efficiency, customization, and regional taste adaptation continue to shape purchasing decisions, tea suppliers are clearly positioning themselves not only as product providers, but as long-term partners for the foodservice and hospitality sectors.

Plastic cups and lids, widely used in coffee and tea retail, may still be visible for a while, but with regulations now active, manufacturers investing heavily in compliant materials, and alternatives becoming easier to source. For operators, especially those reliant on takeaway service, the challenge is balancing performance, compliance, and cost—but with narrowing price gaps and a widening choice of materials.

What World of Coffee Dubai 2026, the region’s leading coffee event, revealed about matcha’s role in GCC beverage culture.

At the beginning of each year, the industry naturally turns its attention to the trends that will shape the months ahead. At  T Hospitality , we have analysed insights from leading experts and fellow journalists covering the global and regional beverage landscape to highlight the developments most relevant to the  tea business in the GCC .  In 2026, beverage menus across the GCC are shifting from being simple add-ons to becoming a core driver of growth. The trends shaping the