Heytea's operational edge combines vertical supply-chain control, data-driven store rollouts, and a franchise strategy that balances premium positioning with mass accessibility. The company is shifting from direct operation to a hybrid franchising model to scale while protecting quality and brand perception, with a 'Global and Digital' roadmap targeting 15% of revenue from overseas by 2026 and automated brewing robotics to standardize taste and cut labor costs.
Cyborg Score Rationale
Heytea is positioned for 20-25% revenue growth for 2025-26 as international and lower-tier China expansion intensifies. The company benefits from a recognized brand, vertical supply control, and operational leverage via franchising, though it faces execution risks on quality control across franchisees and commodity price volatility.
Top Insights
Direct beverage sales remain core, generating approximately 70% of turnover in 2025, while franchise-related income and supply-chain sales now contribute roughly 20%
Over 50 new products were launched in 2024, including the 'Super Plant Tea' series, which sold over 37 million cups by the end of December 2024
Heytea launched a domestic franchise model in November 2022 and extended it to international markets in March 2023, entering the UK (August 2023), Australia and Canada (October 2023), and Malaysia and the US (December 2023)
As of April 30, 2026, the latest employee count at Heytea is 666
Named Competitors
Nai Xue — Premium cheese tea competitor in China market
Lelecha — Chinese tea chain competitor
Gaga Fresh — Tea beverage competitor
Gong Cha — International bubble tea chain
Tiger Sugar — Taiwanese brown sugar milk tea specialist
Recent Developments
(December 2024) 'Super Plant Tea' series achieved 37 million units sold by year-end, demonstrating strong health-conscious product traction
(June 2026) Company continues scaling with targeted 20-25% annual revenue growth trajectory for international and lower-tier city expansion
(Early 2025) Operations expanded to 4,500+ stores with estimated 6.5 billion RMB annual revenue, reflecting aggressive same-store and store-count growth
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