"New Tea Horse Road: The Global Journey of New Tea Drinks": How Does the "Oriental Flavor" Conquer the "World's Palate"?

On the 12th, the New China Jingwei Research Institute and the National Advertising Research Institute jointly released the report "The 'New' Tea Horse Road: The Global Journey of New Tea Drinks" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). This is the 6th issue of the 2025 China Brand Going Global series of reports launched by the two parties.

The "Report" points out that the Chinese new tea drink industry is undergoing a strategic transformation from domestic stock competition to global incremental expansion and has been favored by the capital market. As of June 2025, new tea drink enterprises such as Mixue Bingcheng, Ba Wang Cha Ji, Nayuki, and Shanghai Aunty have successively completed their listings. The expansion into overseas markets provides new growth possibilities for Chinese new tea drink brands and creates a new revenue growth curve for them. The essence of new tea drinks going global is the dual output of "cultural integration + supply chain capabilities", and the ultimate deciding factor lies in accurately positioning the target market, flexibly adjusting product strategies, and building a sustainable local operation system.

The Breakthrough Strategy of a Cup of Tea

According to the "Report", there are many differences between new tea drink brands and traditional tea drink brands. In terms of product core, new tea drink brands emphasize health and personalization more. They emphasize "freshly brewed original leaves + fresh ingredients" and support personalized customization to meet diverse taste needs. In terms of brand logic, new tea drink brands pay more attention to youthfulness and scenarization. They create a social attribute through "high - value packaging + fashionable store design" to adapt to diverse scenarios. In terms of industrial model, new tea drink brands pay more attention to chain operation and digital management. With standardized chain operation as the core model, they rely on the supply chain integration ability to achieve unified supply of raw materials; at the same time, they combine digital means such as online ordering, membership systems, and social media marketing to improve the consumption experience and brand communication efficiency.

Based on the above advantages, the Chinese new tea drink industry shows great potential in the process of expanding overseas markets.

Zhu Danpeng, the vice - president of the Guangdong Food Safety Promotion Association and an analyst of the Chinese food industry, said that the core supporting the new tea drink industry from "going global" to "going steadily" is the global layout of the supply chain. Product, channel, and marketing strategies may be replicated, and price wars may also work in the short term, but the construction of the supply chain is by no means an overnight success.

Wen Zhihong, an expert in the chain operation industry and the general manager of Hehong Consulting, further pointed out that there are many differences between overseas markets and domestic markets in terms of food raw material standards and demands, but Chinese new tea drink brands show obvious advantages with their rich supply chain and platform operation experience accumulated in the domestic market.

Culture is the Second Ticket

According to the "Report", Chinese new tea drink brands have accumulated some useful experience in brand building and communication strategies for going global.

First, leading brands have built a visual language system with both oriental characteristics and global aesthetics through LOGO design, IP personification, and space - scene innovation. Second, local narrative and lightweight communication have become the "soft media" for cross - cultural communication. Third, the local adaptation of products has become the core strategy to break through market barriers. Fourth, by innovating space, interacting with culture, and adapting to the local environment, they create differentiated consumption scenarios and strengthen user participation.

In the view of Jiang Han, a senior researcher at the Pangu Think Tank, local adaptation is the key to solving the problem of "acclimatization" for brands going global. There are significant differences in taste preferences, consumption habits, cultural taboos, etc. in different markets. For example, the Southeast Asian market has a sweet tooth, while the European and American markets pay attention to health. Brands need to adjust their products to meet the needs.

It is worth noting that in the stage of going global, Chinese new tea drink brands have built a highly modern and international visual design system. The research in the "Report" found that whether it is the simple and grand LOGO, the textured packaging design, or the aesthetic presentation of the store space, they have abandoned the stereotypes of the traditional tea drink industry and integrated the current popular design language and aesthetic trends. In menu design, new tea drink brands not only adjust the formula according to local tastes but also strengthen brand identity through bilingual (Chinese and English) menus. The bilingual design not only lowers the decision - making threshold for consumers but also highlights the uniqueness of oriental tea culture - Chinese elements have become visual symbols of "quality" and "origin certification".

Zhu Danpeng believes that this phenomenon reflects the maturity of the global strategy of Chinese consumer brands. Behind it, there is not only the drive of market rules but also the improvement of cultural confidence. New tea drinks carry Chinese tea culture and modern innovation (such as Chinese - style packaging, original leaf tea, and IP economy). They attract customers overseas through "oriental experience" and other means, realizing cultural output to empower brand premium.

In addition, the investigation in the "Report" found that the consumption interaction scenarios in different regions around the world are actually not very different. Communicating with consumers through community activities is a high - quality way to enhance the closeness between the brand and the market and achieve effective interaction, which can significantly improve consumers' favor and recognition of the brand. Take Mixue Bingcheng as an example. It frequently organizes offline interaction activities in multiple Southeast Asian countries. These activities are precisely targeted at young family consumer groups. Through forms such as fun games, product tasting, and theme experiences, family members can participate together.

The Moat of Three Forces Combined

The "Report" believes that the core success factor for new tea drink brands going global is to follow the progressive logic of "short - term breakthrough - medium - term growth - long - term precipitation". The key to short - term market breakthrough lies in establishing cost advantages through local and large - scale operation of the supply chain. Medium - term growth depends on the synergy of cultural penetration and local operation capabilities. Cultural adaptability has become a key variable for brand survival. The key to long - term competition lies in building brand awareness through value output and forming an emotional connection beyond product functions.

The "Report" emphasizes that in terms of competitive factors, product strength is the foundation, manifested in local innovation and quality control; cultural strength is the core, which needs to achieve cross - cultural empathy while maintaining oriental genes; operation strength is the guarantee, relying on the synergy of supply chain efficiency and refined management.

Looking forward to the future, experts believe that although Chinese new tea drink brands have entered a stage of stable output in going global, they still face some challenges.

Zhu Danpeng said that the overseas markets represented by Southeast Asia are gradually showing a fierce competition situation similar to that in the domestic market, and the differentiation pattern of "the strong getting stronger and the weak getting weaker" will be further intensified. The new tea drink industry may also present a competition trend of "the big fish eating the small fish and the fast fish eating the slow fish" overseas.

Wen Zhihong pointed out that "balancing localization and standardization" is also a problem that products going global are bound to face. To penetrate from the "Chinese community" to the "local community" in the local market, products definitely need targeted adjustments. However, the global operation of brands requires a unified model and tone to improve brand recognition and operation efficiency. How to achieve a balance between the two tests the wisdom of brands.

Jiang Han believes that new tea drinks going global still need to explore new paths. For example, deepen the integrated communication path of "culture + technology", use technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and VR (virtual reality) to create an immersive tea - culture experience; explore the cross - border model of "IP co - branding + scenarized marketing", etc.