1. HEYTEA Opens First Chicago Store in Chinatown
HEYTEA has officially marked its entry into the Midwestern United States with the opening of its first Chicago location in Chinatown. The store brings the brand’s signature “New-Style Tea” experience—including its famous cheese tea and fruit tea series—to the city’s vibrant and culturally diverse Asian community.
The Chicago opening is a significant milestone in HEYTEA’s global expansion roadmap, following its success in New York and other international hubs. By establishing a presence in major U.S. cities, HEYTEA aims to lead the globalization of Chinese tea culture through premium, lifestyle-oriented branding.
2. Mixue Reports Over 300 Franchise Inquiries in Brazil
Mixue Bingcheng, the global leader in value-driven tea and ice cream, has received over 300 franchise inquiries in Brazil within a short period, signaling massive market interest in its affordable business model. The brand is currently evaluating strategic partners to establish its first supply chain and store network in South America.
The strong interest in Brazil reflects the universal appeal of Mixue’s high-efficiency, low-price strategy. As it expands beyond Southeast Asia, Mixue’s entry into the Latin American market represents a new frontier for Chinese beverage brands aiming for global mass-market dominance.
3. Pop Mart Launches “POP BAKERY” Lifestyle Concept in Aranya
Pop Mart has diversified its IP-led lifestyle offerings by launching “POP BAKERY” in the Aranya coastal community. The concept store blends Pop Mart’s popular toy characters with a bakery and cafe experience, creating an immersive “toy + food” retail scenario for fans and tourists.
This cross-over into the bakery and coffee space illustrates how IP brands are seeking to monetize their fan bases through high-frequency lifestyle consumption. Aranya’s position as a trendy “destination retail” hub provides the perfect environment for Pop Mart to test these new experiential formats.
4. Guming Joins Price War with 9.9 CNY Coconut Ice Cream Latte
Guming has intensified the competitive landscape by launching a new “Coconut Ice Cream Latte” priced at just 9.9 CNY. This aggressive pricing targets the high-volume, budget-conscious coffee segment, directly competing with the low-cost offerings of Luckin and Cotti Coffee.
The 9.9 CNY price point has become the “new normal” in China’s coffee industry, forcing brands to optimize their supply chains to maintain margins. Guming’s entry into this price war highlights the persistent pressure on mid-range tea brands to offer high-value coffee options to retain customer traffic.
5. Cotti Coffee and Bonga University Form Ethiopia Partnership
Cotti Coffee has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Bonga University in Ethiopia to enhance sustainable coffee sourcing and technical development. The partnership focuses on improving bean quality and ensuring a transparent, traceable supply chain for Cotti’s growing global store network.
Securing high-quality raw materials at the source is becoming a key competitive advantage for large-scale coffee chains. Cotti’s partnership with an Ethiopian academic institution underscores the industry’s shift toward deeper supply chain integration and corporate social responsibility at the origin.
