A "Cool-Headed" Reflection on the Tea Beverage Circle: Ecological Gear Shifting and Supply Chain Contention in the New-Style Tea Beverage Industry

In the new tea beverage circle in the summer of 2026, ice cream seems to be more popular than milk tea. From the penetration of Mixue Bingcheng's 3 - yuan affordable ice cream cones into the lower - tier markets, to the high - end exploration of HEYTEA's independent Xiladuo Laboratory; from the large - scale store layout of Guming, Cha Baidao, and Nai Xue's Tea, to the topic - creating promotion of Bawang Cha Ji's tea - flavored Italian ice cream... For a moment, it seems that all new tea beverage brands are looking for the "second growth curve" beyond tea.

Behind this all - out race lies the collective anxiety of the industry to break through after the end of high - speed growth. In 2025, the net number of freshly - made milk tea stores in the entire industry decreased by nearly 30,000, and the scale growth rate dropped to 5.7%. The myth of extensive growth where "opening a store means making a profit" may have come to an end. In the past year, the differentiation within the leading camp has continued to intensify: some achieved double - digit profit growth through in - depth development of the supply chain, some actively shrank and improved quality during the model transformation, some built a moat through cultural differentiation, and some got caught in the ecological dilemma of franchisees after a mad rush for scale.

Selling ice cream is not just about adding another SKU; it is a small aspect of the industry's transformation. From the competition in scale and quantity to the competition in ecological quality, the real question for the new tea beverage industry is what enables them to survive in the cruel game of the stock market. The performance reports of various brands in the past year have given very different answers.

When "Tea Beverage +" Becomes a Necessity

The "ice cream war" that broke out collectively in the summer of 2026, ranging from affordable to high - end, from incidental sales in stores to independent specialty stores, saw all eight leading brands enter the fray. However, the ice cream layouts of different brands also show very different path choices.

Mixue Bingcheng is one of the earliest brands to layout ice cream. Relying on its excellent supply chain capabilities, it has kept the unit price of ice cream between 2 and 9 yuan, becoming a synonym for "ice cream freedom" in the lower - tier markets. Its independent coffee brand, "Lucky Coffee", also sells affordable ice cream simultaneously, forming a combination of "coffee + ice cream". Mixue Bingcheng's ice cream strategy is to attract customers with extremely low prices and drive the sales of tea beverages. In essence, it is an extension of its "high - quality and affordable" strategy, and objectively, it also builds stronger customer - acquisition capabilities for its stores.

This year, Guming's main move in ice cream was as follows: On May 14th, the "Coconut Ice Cream Latte" co - branded with the Line Dog incidentally made a coconut ice cream ball popular. So Guming simply put it in the "separate ingredients" area for individual orders at 4 yuan per box, becoming a popular ice cream product in the tea beverage circle this summer. At the same time, Guming's coffee business covers more than 90% of its stores. The combination of "coffee + ice cream" can effectively cover the morning consumption scenario and extend the business hours of the stores. Guming's category expansion always revolves around its core positioning of "freshness". It does not blindly pursue gimmicks but steadily implements based on its supply chain capabilities to ensure the profit margin of franchisees.

Cha Baidao promotes the dual - line layout of ice cream and coffee with a volume - driven logic of "lightweight grafting + price positioning". In terms of ice cream, Cha Baidao integrates ice cream elements into its existing tea beverage product line, launching fusion products such as vanilla matcha ice and vanilla ice cream latte. It also offers a "plus 3 yuan for an extra ice cream ball" option to DIY with all series of iced drinks, enriching the product matrix at a low cost and setting prices in line with its affordable positioning. At the same time, through the large - scale installation of fully automatic coffee machines, Cha Baidao promotes its "tea - coffee synergy" strategy. The number of covered stores has rapidly increased from about 200 at the beginning of the year to more than 2,700, exceeding the annual target ahead of schedule. More than a dozen new coffee products have been launched, and the daily cup output of some stores exceeds 100, effectively driving sales during breakfast and other periods. This steady - going style is in line with Cha Baidao's consistent concept of refined operation, avoiding the losses and quality - control risks caused by blind expansion.

In Shanghai Aunty's 2026, "dual - wheel drive of tea and coffee" is one of its core strategies. Relying on the channel advantage of over 10,000 stores, it has completed the coffee equipment upgrade for more than 80% of its stores, launched a differentiated hit product of coconut - flavored fresh fruit coffee, and quickly captured the market through extremely cost - effective strategies such as a 9.9 - yuan weekly card.

Nai Xue's Tea, relying on its direct - operated stores and baking advantages, uses coffee and ice cream as the core means to fill the gap in consumption periods and promote the transformation of "all - day, all - scenario, all - category". In terms of coffee, some stores have launched a breakfast combination of "fresh fruit special - blend coffee + freshly baked pastries" exclusive to the mini - program starting from 8.8 yuan, aiming to capture the urban morning essential market. In terms of ice cream, in addition to launching the bayberry ice cream tart, it has also launched a Gelato product line based on its Jingshan matcha line, reusing the matcha, fragrant coconut, and oolong tea bases in the stores, and launching Gelato drinks and matcha ice cream tarts, which are linked with baking to increase the customer order amount and in - store repurchase rate in summer. Overall, it uses the multi - category linkage of tea beverages, coffee, ice cream, and baking, relying on high - end and differentiation to avoid the low - price involution in the industry and increase the store's space - utilization efficiency and comprehensive revenue.

Cha Yan Yue Se's category expansion focuses on the new retail end. In addition to freshly - made tea beverages, it has also launched products such as "lemon coffee" and "Master Yang's special - blend coffee". Its Sushan Dessert Shop has also launched ice cream products and vigorously developed snacks, tea leaves, tea powder, and cultural and creative products. In addition, its "Cha Yan Handmade Cake Workshop" adopts the in - store model in the Garden Party stores, integrating Chinese and Western baking with tea beverages. The main single products are priced between 3 and 6 yuan, and the affordable positioning lowers the consumption threshold and effectively stimulates user repurchase. All category expansions of Cha Yan Yue Se always revolve around its brand positioning of "new Chinese lifestyle" and do not blindly cross - border. Every step is highly consistent with the brand's tonality.

HEYTEA's ice cream layout follows the "high - end, specialty store" route. From the Xiladuo section in the LAB stores to the independent Xiladuo Laboratory stores, it focuses on the Italian Gelato process, emphasizing fresh - made and natural ingredients, with a price range of 19 - 23 yuan, much higher than the industry average. The independent laboratory stores not only sell products but also create a leisure and social space to increase the user's stay time. The advantage of this model is high gross profit and strong brand tonality, but the disadvantage is that it is difficult to replicate, has high requirements for store location and area, and is difficult to scale up quickly.