Coffee & tea: market and packaging

25/08/2025

Aug 25, 2025

Market dynamics by sector

Although these product categories share many common features, each has its own distinctive characteristics. For this reason, they are analysed separately, also in terms of packaging.

Coffee
Italy is recognised as one of the world’s leading players in the processing and production of coffee. In the Italian context, this begins with the roasting and grinding of imported green (unroasted) coffee beans. A defining feature of Italian coffee production is the expert blending of beans sourced from different geographical areas. As a result, domestic processing is exclusively based on imported coffee, from which production volumes, exports and consumption are derived.
According to the most recent data available, in 2023 approximately 1,000 companies operate within this industry, employing around 7,000 people directly. The industry generated a turnover of approximately €4.8 billion, with exports accounting for 48% of that figure.

Production and consumption. Preliminary estimates for 2024 indicate a slight decline in the sector, with turnover down by 0.5% and production volumes decreasing by 1.6%.
The production of roasted coffee in Italy is expected to reach approximately 501,000 tonnes, nearly 60% of which is destined for export.
Roasted coffee exports continued to grow in 2024, both in terms of value and volume: turnover was up by 8.8%, and quantities exported have increased by 1.4%.
With exports accounting for around 38% of national production, Italy exported 296,000 tonnes of roasted coffee, generating approximately €2.2 billion in turnover. Analysing the export figures, the main export destinations are, as in previous years, Germany France and the United States.
Imports are also rising. In 2024, green coffee imports are expected to increase by 27% in value and 1.5% in volume.
According to ISTAT data, over 96% of imported coffee consists of green beans sourced from various coffee-producing countries and this forms the basis for domestic processing. More than half of Italy's green coffee imports come from just two coffee-producing countries: Brazil (mainly Arabica) and Vietnam (primarily Robusta).
The remaining imports consist of roasted coffee, mainly soluble varieties and ground coffee in capsules, originating mostly from Swiss factories of the Nestlé-Nespresso group.
To ensure accurate interpretation of the data, especially when analysing quantities by weight, a few key factors must be taken into account. Firstly, roasted and ground coffee weighs approximately 20% less than green coffee beans. This means that 371,000 tonnes of imported green beans are equivalent to around 296,800 tonnes of roasted coffee. Secondly, of this roasted coffee, about 84% is used for beverage preparation, whether for home or out-of-home consumption. The remaining 16% is used in industrial applications, such as the production of ice cream, yoghurt, soft drinks, desserts, and similar products. Based on these calculations, the volume of packaged coffee consumed in Italy in 2023 was approximately 249,310 tonnes.
Driven by a wide range of retail channels and the growth of e-commerce, domestic consumption accounts for 71% of total coffee volumes, while out-of-home consumption, supported by Ho.Re.Ca. sales, vending machines and Office Coffee Services, accounts for the remaining 29%.
In value terms, the gap between the two segments is less pronounced, as out-of-home consumption typically commands, on average, higher prices than retail.
Focusing on domestic consumption, ground coffee in its various forms, such as standard and espresso blends, remains the most popular type, accounting for 68% of the market share.
Portioned coffee in pods or capsules continues to grow steadily, now representing around 20% of total ground coffee volumes. Coffee beans make up 7.3% of the coffee consumed in Italy, while soluble coffee accounts for the remaining 4.7%.

Tea and infusions
The tea segment can be divided into two main product categories: on one side are teas, herbal teas, and infusions in sachet form; on the other, loose-leaf or soluble products that consumers prepare themselves for hot or cold beverages. In addition to these, the market also includes ready-to-drink teas, to be consumed cold or at room temperature.
It is important to note that Italy has very few tea plantations. As such, references to domestic production primarily concern the processing and packaging of imported loose-leaf tea.

Production and consumption. In 2023, total production of teas, infusions and herbal teas amounted to 20,158 tonnes, according to the latest available ISTAT data – representing a 6% decrease compared to 2022.
In 2024, the sector recorded a further 1.5% decline in production volumes. However, both imports and exports showed positive growth trends. This is particularly significant, as the majority of tea packaged in Italy comes from abroad.
In 2024, Italian production is expected to reach around 1,470 tonnes, compared to approximately 3,420 tonnes of bulk tea imports, which represent an 11.2% increase. This rise in imports led to a 7% increase in the availability of packaged products in Italy. Looking at the balance between packaged exports and imports, apparent consumption has grown by 4.7%.
Confirming the growth in apparent consumption – which, it should be noted, does not factor in stock variations – is the Adnkronos “Età senza età” (“Ageless Age”) survey. This survey reveals that consumption of teas, infusions and herbal teas has increased by more than 20% in recent years, particularly among individuals aged 51 and over.
When analysing the tea market, it is also important to consider the cold beverage segment, which is often chosen as an alternative to other drinks, such as still or sparkling soft drinks and fruit juices.
In Italy, iced tea ranks as the most popular cold beverage after cola, with per capita consumption exceeding more than nine litres per year, one of the highest levels in Europe.
Alongside traditional fruity flavours, other varieties have also gained a solid foothold in the market, including green tea, which now accounts for around 10% of the total volume, and decaffeinated tea, which is mainly targeted at younger consumers.
In recent years, the consumption of tea mixed with fruit-based drinks has become increasingly widespread. According to data from the Italian Packaging Institute, consumption of these beverages in 2024 reached approximately 577 million litres, marking a 1% decline, mainly attributed to the overall decline in the beverage sector.
Leading brands in this category include Ferrero, with its Estathé range, and Nestle, with its latest addition, Fustea.

Packaging: types and sectors

Coffee packaging
In 2024, approximately 27,965 tonnes of packaging are expected to be used in the coffee sector. This figure includes packaging for both the Ho.Re.Ca sector (hotels, cafés and restaurants) and in-home consumption (including capsules used at home and in the office).
When discussing packaging, it is important to distinguish between coffee intended for domestic consumption and coffee for the Ho.Re.Ca. sector.
The types of packaging used for coffee are as follows:
- 83% of the product is packaged in flexible polybags, with capacities ranging from 250 g to 3 kg – the larger formats primarily serving the Ho.Re.Ca sector;
- 8% is packaged in steel tins, with similar capacities to those of polybags;
- 7.6%, and steadily increasing, is single-dose packaging consisting of aluminium capsules or pods made of plastic or paper;
- the remaining 1.4%, mainly used for soluble coffee, is packaged in paper bags (1%), glass jars (0.3%) or cardboard boxes (0.1%).
In the single-dose coffee segment, capsules continue to dominate over pods. However, recent years have seen a resurgence in pod use, driven by growing interest in more sustainable packaging solutions.
For these reasons, several forward-looking manufacturers, sensitive to consumer demands and trends, have begun producing compostable capsules. These are easier to recycle as they eliminate the need to separate the packaging from the coffee grounds after use.
Lastly, focusing on the café and restaurant sector specifically, the packaging mix is divided into flexible polybags (86.2%), steel tins (8.8%) and paper bags (5%). All packages have capacities exceeding 1 kg.

Tea and herbal tea packaging
The packaging mix for teas and herbal teas varies depending on whether the product is intended for infusion or belongs to the ready-to-drink beverage category.

Infusion products. For infusion products, packaging is typically in the form of individual sachets or loose-leaf formats.
Individual sachets are usually packed in cardboard boxes, with an average of 20 sachets per box, each weighing approximately 2 grams. By contrast, about 75% of loose-leaf products are packaged in cardboard boxes and 25% in steel tins.
The topic of infusion sachets deserves special attention. In recent years, environmental sustainability has become a key driver in packaging innovation within this segment. As a result, fully recyclable filters free of plastic components are becoming increasingly widespread. Most sachets are made using cellulose-based filter papers. For premium infusions, cotton or silk fibres are also used, which are then enclosed in heat-sealed pouches that help preserve the product's organoleptic properties while allowing for easy disposal in paper and organic waste streams.

Ready-to-drink beverages. When it comes to ready-to-drink iced tea, packaging formats can be broken down as follows:
- PET bottles dominate the market with a 70.7% share, commonly available in sizes ranging from 50 cl to 1.5 litres;
- polystyrene (PS) cups in 20 cl format account for 17% of the market, followed by aluminium cans (33 cl) with a 6.4% share;
- rigid paper-based composite containers represent 3%, while cheerpacks (flexible pouches) account for 2.4%. Over the past five years, cheerpacks have gradually gained popularity, eroding market share from both PS cups and cartons, which typically have the same 20 cl capacity;
- 50 cl glass bottles currently hold a small share of 0.5%, but this format is showing growth, confirming trends identified in previous years.
In 2023, approximately 26,500 tonnes of packaging were used for tea products.

ItaliaImballaggio July-August 2025