Tea consumption in the Netherlands is enormous, overshadowed only by the consumption of coffee. In 2012, about ninety litres of tea was consumed per person. Fresh herbs are increasingly being used to make tea. Traditionally, mint tea is a popular beverage, but the available range of fresh tea herbs is growing.
"There's definitely a rising demand. It’s something of the past year," says Steven Lauwers of herb grower Vegobel. "We are trying to respond by developing new varieties and bringing these on the market. We have expanded the mint range with typical Moroccan mint and peppermint and chocolate mint. Additionally, lemon verbena tea represents a real discovery for users. We also have other varieties, such as lemon balm, stevia and lavender, all of which can be used for tea.”
International growth
Supplier Koppert Cress moved into the fresh herbs market last year, specifically aimed at tea. The herbal tea called Infusions comes in four variants; lavender flowers and mint, thyme and mint, verbena, and verbena and lavender flowers. "We notice increasing demand and scope for fresh herbal tea," says Brenda Kouwenhoven of Koppert Cress. "We thought that the demand would mostly come from the Netherlands, but in fact we see a growing interest from countries such as Germany, France, Switzerland and Russia. It goes much further than just the Netherlands."
Belgian Vegobel is growing the herbs themselves. "Locally grown has its advantages. Of course, we have the sustainability aspect. We can distribute quickly and have a short delivery time because we do not have to import anything.”
Vegobel continues to work on the development of new herbs, even though, according to the company, the market has its limitations. "It must remain accessible. If the range becomes too exotic the consumer won’t know what to do with it."