The Big Picture

In China's frothy tea drink universe, startups learn to battle

  • China
  • 8 min read
  • Sep 12, 2019
  • By Hua Nan

By Lu Shu © CompassList

Tea shop startups like Nayuki and Heytea are staying afloat by turning to high-quality organic ingredients and greater brand visibility 

Within a few months of its launch in Zhengzhou in early 2018, Answer Tea rocketed to internet fame as the latest, trendiest go-to bubble tea in China. The startup's short videos using the Douyin app drew almost 1.2m likes from 350,000 fans. The popularity brought quick business expansion. By mid-March, Answer Tea had signed 249 franchisees and, within a year, opened 500 stores in 27 provinces. 
Answer Tea’s main selling point is its "fortune-telling" service. Customers write a random question on a cup sleeve, order their drink, then get the drink back with the answer to their questions...

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