China’s tea market: How the traditional market is rejuvenating itself
In 2024, Nongfu Spring experienced an unprecedented change: its ready-to-drink tea segment overtook bottled water as its biggest business. This illustrates how quickly the tea industry is changing. As the world’s oldest tea industry, China’s tea industry is being reshaped. Traditional loose-leaf remains the foundation. However, new Chinese-style tea drinks and ready-to-drink tea are rapidly […]
174,000 openings, 137,000 closures in a year: The evolution and uncertain future of Chinese modern tea sector
The Chinese modern tea sector has matured significantly since 2020, completing a transition from a volume-driven expansion model to a quality-focused era. In terms of growth, we can see this reflected in the shift from an average growth rate of 24.9% CAGR between 2017 and 2022 to a growth rate of 6.4% in 2024. The […]
HEYTEA’s path to buzz in China and beyond through digital marketing and co-branding
Established in Guangdong in 2012, HEYTEA (喜茶) is a new-style tea drink brand that blends traditional Chinese tea culture with modern aesthetics, acclaimed for inventive teas and chic outlets. As of May 2023, it boasts 241 stores across China, concentrating on first and second-tier cities in the East and South. Moreover, the brand’s international growth is noteworthy, […]
The Secret Recipe of HEYTEA’s Buzz in China
It is nothing unusual to see hundreds of customers waiting in queues for globally anticipated products such as the latest iPhone. Recently, however, the Chinese brand HEYTEA (in Chinese: 喜茶 xi cha), had convinced clients to line up for more than five hours –– and for quite a different type of product. Indeed, since mid-February, […]