Taiwan's non-alcoholic drink output tops NT$60 billion in 2024: MOEA

Taipei, July 7 (CNA) The total output value of Taiwan's non-alcoholic beverage industry grew for a 10th consecutive year in 2024 and surpassed NT$60 billion (US$2.07 billion) for the first time, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reported Monday.

The sector's output value hit a record high of NT$61 billion last year, up 3.9 percent from a year earlier, and continued a decade-long upward trend, according to a report on the industry by the MOEA, one of a series the agency produces occasionally on different sectors.

From January to April 2025, non-alcoholic beverage output rose another 2.1 percent from the first four months of 2024 to NT$18.5 billion, according to the data.

By product category, tea-based beverages remained the leading segment among non-alcoholic beverages.

Tea culture has deep roots in Taiwan, and that tradition combined with innovation in flavors have driven consistent growth in tea-based beverages, the report said.

In 2024, the output value of tea beverages rose 8.3 percent year-over-year to NT$21.6 billion, accounting for 35.5 percent of the sector's value.

The industry is primarily driven by domestic demand, with over 90 percent of products sold in the local market, but business also import a wide range of non-alcoholic beverages to meet the diverse and changing preferences of Taiwanese consumers, the report said.

Those imports totaled US$215 million in 2024, up 5.2 percent from a year earlier, with US$31 million, or 14.4 percent of the total, coming from Japan, the biggest foreign source of non-alcoholic drinks in Taiwan's market.

It was followed by Thailand with US$21 million (9.9 percent), and China and Hong Kong with US$19 million (8.9 percent).

In terms of production locations domestically, of the 336 companies in Taiwan engaged in non-alcoholic beverage manufacturing, 55 companies were in Kaohsiung (16.4 percent of the total), followed by New Taipei with 43, Taoyuan 41, and Taichung 31.

The non-alcoholic beverage industry covers manufacturers of beverages containing no more than 0.5 percent alcohol.

This category includes tea-based drinks, sports drinks, mineral water, carbonated beverages, fruit and vegetable juices, and coffee drinks, according to the industrial classification of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).