By Angela Drujinina
 
07/11/2005 - The next generation of pyramid teabags has come to Russia as 21st Century consumers increasingly look for that little something extra in their traditional cup of tea.

A transparent pyramid teabag made from nylon was one of the unexpected sensations of the recent World Food 2005 expo in Russia.
The shape of the bags allows their maker, German firm Svay Teegarten, to pack them with larger tea leaves, something it says helps to enrich and enhance the aroma and flavour of the tea.

The group said it had used ultrasound technology to help make the teabags so that no glue or clips were needed. Its bags are also packed in foil sachets to help preserve the leaves' flavour.

Svay's bags, which will be distributed by umbrella organisation Chaynyi Mir, should also be well-positioned to take advantage of growing consumer demands for premium, high quality tea in Russia.

The Roschaikofe association said this was the main trend on the Russian tea market, which has annual growth of about $100m. Market volume is about 150-160,000 tonnes, with wholesale value around $1bn in 2004.

"The value growth takes place due to more expensive tea sorts: tea bags, green and black tea with additions," said a spokesperson for the Lipton tea brand, owned by Unilever.

The Russian tea market, despite its long traditions, is also still very attractive for tea suppliers. An average Russian citizen drinks about 1kg of tea per year, while people in the of Middle East, some of the biggest tea drinkers, down around 5kg of tea per person each year.

So far, the leader on the Russian tea market is the Russian company Ormi Trade, based in St Petersburg. Ormi has a 22 per cent and 30 per cent value and volume share respectively. The second place is being fought for by Moscow-based company May and multinational giant Unilever.

Another trend on the market is the steady growth of ready-packed tea. Roschaikofe said that in 2003, packed tea has a market volume share of 18-20 per cent. AC Nielsen increased this to 23 per cent in 2004, also giving packed tea a value share of 43.9 per cent. The group expects the segment to grow by up to 35-40 per cent by 2007-2008.

The trend has been driven by increased tea consumption in offices and places of work, with many Russians still wary of using sachets at home because of doubts about their quality.