HEYTEA

Restaurant Chains Collaborate with Celebrity Chefs to Launch New Products

New Tea Brands Accelerate Global Expansion, Overseas Business Grows Rapidly

Yuanqispring Meets Health Demand with Sugar-Free Products

New tea brands launch kale-based healthy drinks

Hive Tea Launches Kale Slimming Bottles

Heytea Completes Store Overhaul and Reopens in Multiple Cities

Heytea Launches Limited Edition Drink 'Jiangbian Li·Zhi Zhi Gan Pu'

Chinese Tea Brands Actively Expand into Southeast Asian Market

Heytea and the National Maternal and Infant Dairy Product Health Engineering Technology Research Center Jointly Establish Dairy Innovation Hub and Launch New Milk Product

Heytea Announces Suspension of Partnership Applications, Rejects Low-Price Internal Competition and Digital Games

Heytea Issues Internal Email Rejecting Digital Games and Scale Involution

Heytea Suspends Store Franchise Applications, Reflecting Supply-Demand Imbalance in the Industry

Heytea Releases 2024 Annual Report, Store Sales Grow Against the Trend

Heytea Releases 2024 Annual Report, Membership Exceeds 150 Million

Tea Beverage Brands Expand Overseas: Mixue Ice City, Heytea, and Nayuki's Tea Actively Layout Southeast Asian Market

HEYTEA releases new tea beverage health labeling system

Sales Growth of Heytea Stores During National Day Holiday

Heytea Rejects Involution

Heytea Launches New Product in "Super Plant Tea" Series

130,000 Milk Tea Shops Closed in a Year, Heytea Issues Internal Letter to Control Store Management

09992

Chinese brands are expanding globally, leveraging domestic strategies to tap into new markets. Companies like Heytea and Pop Mart are exporting cultural products and opening stores abroad, focusing on branding and consumer preferences. This trend reflects a strategic shift from manufacturing to cultural exports, aided by strong supply chains and digital platforms. The competitive domestic market has honed their operational capabilities, making them adept at global expansion.

- Chinese firms are expanding internationally to seek new markets as domestic profits decline and production capacity increases.  
- This trend reflects a strategic shift towards opening stores abroad and exporting cultural products rather than building factories.  
- However, challenges such as geopolitical risks and cultural tensions may impact their overseas operations and sustainability.

南华早报

POP MART

Beyond factories: how China’s trendy brands turn local success into global influence

36Kr learned that recently, the HEYTEA mini program launched the "Hand-painted Custom Cup Sticker" feature. According to the Aiqicha App, HEYTEA's affiliated company, Shenzhen Meixi Western Restaurant Management Co., Ltd., has applied for design patents for "stickers" and "cup sleeves." In addition, the company has also applied for copyright for artistic works such as "HEYTEA Series Illustrations," "HEYTEA 'Tea Master' Brand Image Illustrations," and "HEYTEA 'Pedestrian Tea Drinking' Brand Image Illustrations."

36Kr

HEYTEA has applied for appearance design patents for sticker cup sleeves and other items

The overseas expansion of new tea beverage brands is unfolding at an unprecedented speed globally. Chagee is about to open its 200th store in Malaysia and has formed a joint venture with a local giant in Thailand to deepen its presence in the Southeast Asian market; HEYTEA's total number of overseas stores has exceeded 100, increasing sixfold within a year; Ningji's overseas signed stores have also reached 18, with layouts in North America, Southeast Asia, and other regions

Zhitong

Chagee

Multiple new tea beverage brands are going overseas

HEYTEA's "Super Plant Tea" celebrates its one-year anniversary. According to official data, the entire series of "Super Plant Tea" products has sold over 100 million cups, and nearly 3 million pounds of fresh kale have been used to date

"Super Plant Tea" has sold over 100 million cups

On August 25th, an evaluation stated that several tea brands, including Heytea and Chagee, contained trans fatty acids in their products. In response, Chagee stated to reporters that this information is false. In media reports, the trans fatty acid content of Chagee's Boya Juexian product was detected at 0.0133g/100g, which complies with the national food safety standards regarding the claim of "0 trans fatty acids."

Chagee responds to being detected with trans fatty acids

HEYTEA responded to the allegations regarding its products containing trans fatty acids, stating that the information is false and seriously misleads consumers. HEYTEA emphasized that all its products use high-quality ingredients, undergo professional testing, and meet national standards, ensuring that the trans fatty acid content in its products is 0

Multiple brands are questioned for having trans fatty acids in their products, HEYTEA: Untrue! Completely complies with the national standard of 0 trans fatty acids

On August 22, HEYTEA launched over 4,000 stores nationwide on Taobao Flash Sale. According to reports, HEYTEA also launched the "Super Hot" channel on Taobao Flash Sale, offering limited-time discounted prices on its star products

HEYTEA has fully launched over 4,000 stores on Taobao Flash Sale

02097

02150

02589

Sweetness seeps into the bones, honeyed intentions subtly alter appearances

- In 2025, a middle school student in Fuzhou developed diabetes after consuming excessive amounts of sugary milk tea, driven by aggressive marketing and subsidies.  
- The rapid expansion of tea and snack chains, particularly near schools, has led to increased sugar consumption among youth, raising health concerns about obesity and related chronic diseases.  
- As the "thousand-store economy" thrives, the hidden costs of this sugary trend may burden public health systems, highlighting the urgent need for effective sugar regulation and consumer awareness.

Wallstreetcn

MIXUE GROUP

NAYUKI

AUNTEA JENNY

The Era of Milk Tea and Snack Stores: Who Will Pay the Price for "Mass-Produced Sweetness"?

02555

01364

Dongbei Securities released a research report stating that the affordable tea beverage industry has ecological niche advantages, a clear competitive landscape, and is expected to enter a harvest period in 2025. The industry experienced recovery and expansion in 2023, and will enter a price war in 2024, accelerating the exit of small and medium-sized brands while concentrating on leading brands. The demand for affordable tea beverages is stable and widespread, while the supply side faces a single demand, creating a winner-takes-all situation. Overall, affordable tea beverages represent a superior business model

CHABAIDAO

GUMING

Northeast Securities: Supply and demand on both ends drive the development of the flat-priced tea beverage track, and the industrial product model easily realizes a winner-takes-all scenario

On August 6th, HEYTEA officially launched a collaboration event with the popular IP "CHIIKAWA," resulting in a surge in orders at multiple stores, with some locations showing over 800 cups of tea awaiting preparation. The co-branded drinks, such as the Baked Crème Brûlée Oil-Reduced Oolong Ice and Baked Crème Brûlée Matcha, became best-selling products of the day. This collaboration marks HEYTEA's first joint project since 2025, centered around the characters from "CHIIKAWA." On the day of the event, stores in cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing quickly became busy

HEYTEA CHIIKAWA event's first day saw multiple stores sell out

SBUX

LKNCY

Guosheng Securities released a research report stating that China's ready-to-drink beverage industry has entered a period of rapid development, with a market size reaching 517.5 billion yuan in 2023, and is expected to grow to 627.9 billion yuan in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 22.5% from 2018 to 2023. Ready-to-drink tea and ready-to-drink coffee are the two core sub-markets, with sizes of 258.5 billion yuan and 172.1 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for 50.0% and 33.3% respectively. The ready-to-drink tea market is the largest, while the ready-to-drink coffee market is growing the fastest

- According to Guosheng Securities, China's ready-to-drink beverage industry has entered a rapid growth phase, with a market size of 5,175 billion yuan in 2023, projected to reach 6,279 billion yuan in 2024, reflecting a CAGR of approximately 22.5% from 2018 to 2023.  
- The core segments include ready-to-drink tea and coffee, with respective market sizes of 2,585 billion yuan and 1,721 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for 50.0% and 33.3% of the market.  
- The ready-to-drink tea market is the largest, while the ready-to-drink coffee market is experiencing the fastest growth, driven by evolving consumer preferences and brand awareness.  

Starbucks

Luckin Coffee

Guosheng Securities: China's ready-to-drink beverage industry scale exceeds 500 billion, driven by both tea and coffee

36Kr learned that on May 16, HEYTEA's Xiamen SM City Plaza store opened after completing its store renovation and upgrade. Previously, multiple stores of HEYTEA in cities such as Hangzhou, Tianjin, Nanjing, Ningbo, and Foshan had also completed their store space upgrades

HEYTEA promotes space upgrades for stores in multiple cities

On May 13th, HEYTEA launched a limited-time new drink nationwide called "Jiangbianli·Zhizhi Ganpu." According to reports, the product's peak production time is expected to exceed 1,000 cups. In the third quarter of 2024, HEYTEA released an internal letter stating that upcoming products will not follow industry trends but will explore more differentiated new products in the direction of healthy tea beverages. So far, HEYTEA has launched 8 local specialty products