RTD Tea and RTD Coffee Become the Main Growth Drivers in Central Asia
Ready-to-drink tea and coffee continue to strengthen their positions across Central Asia, emerging as some of the fastest-growing segments of the region’s beverage industry. The findings were presented at the DRINKCONF 2026 conference in Moscow.
According to the research presented during the conference, Kazakhstan’s fastest-growing beverage categories include energy drinks, RTD Tea, and RTD Coffee. Analysts expect these segments to maintain positive growth in the coming years. In Uzbekistan, carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, and ready-to-drink tea continue to post the strongest growth rates.
Dmitry Dokin attributes the differences between the Russian and Central Asian markets to several factors, including the region’s hot climate, younger population, and the growing influence of consumer habits from East Asia, particularly Japan, South Korea, and China. These countries are widely regarded as global leaders in the development of RTD Tea and RTD Coffee categories.
Russia, meanwhile, is following a different growth pattern. Sports drinks remain one of the fastest-growing segments, while demand for energy drinks has begun to stabilize following the introduction of restrictions on sales to minors. Uzbekistan has not introduced similar restrictions, allowing the energy drinks category to maintain double-digit growth.
According to the speakers, these differences require manufacturers to adopt market-specific strategies. Increasingly, successful beverage products are being developed with regional consumer preferences in mind rather than using a single approach across the CIS markets.
