Chayan Yuese (茶颜悦色), the tea brand that refuses to franchise
Chayan Yuese (茶颜悦色), the Changsha tea brand that retired its English name Sexy Tea in 2022, ran 734 stores as of April 2026, every one of them operated by the company itself, and more than half of them in its home province of Hunan. In April 2026, Mixue (蜜雪冰城) counted 44,836 stores and CHAGEE (霸王茶姬) […]
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 […]
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, […]
“Duk Haan Yum Cha”: Chali and Chua Lam’s Dim Sum Rejuvenate the Tea Trend with Zao Cha Culture (早茶文化)
“得闲饮茶” (Duk Haan Yum Cha), a popular greeting in Cantonese-speaking areas, meaning “let us go for tea together when we have time”. This is one of the most representative expressions under Cantonese Zao Cha Culture (早茶文化). Chali, a tea brand based in the Guangdong Province, is utilizing this culture to present a joint program with […]