Heytea goes global: Redefining Asian tea culture, from Mayfair to Times Square

As the Shenzhen-based, L Catterton-backed Heytea continues to make waves in the global beverage industry, the tea chain is set to embark on one of its most ambitious projects to date – a partnership with London's esteemed Royal Ballet and Opera. This collaboration introduces a pop-up store at the historic Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and is Heytea’s first significant cultural partnership in the UK. From September 4 to September 22, visitors can sample Heytea’s most popular offerings and a limited-edition blend inspired by the return of ZooNation’s The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party to the Royal Ballet and Opera stage. This initiative underscores Heytea’s ongoing overseas expansion, and aims to broaden its appeal beyond those already acquainted with Chinese and Asian tea cultures. Heytea has rapidly increased its presence in the UK over the past year, and plans to open three new locations in the second half of 2024 – one each in Leeds, Southampton, and London – raising its total number of UK stores to 12 by the end of the year. On the eve of the Royal Ballet and Opera collaboration, Jing Daily spoke with Leon Zhao, Heytea’s London-based Branding Manager, about the brand’s global expansion, its pioneering collaborations with international brands, and its plans to sustain growth and appeal across domestic and international markets. Jing Daily: How has Heytea’s global expansion strategy, particularly in high-profile areas like London’s Mayfair and New York’s Times Square, impacted its brand perception? Leon Zhao: Heytea’s strategic expansion into prestigious global locations like Mayfair and Times Square showcases its confident commitment to introducing a leading new-style Asian tea experience to a broader worldwide audience. By venturing beyond traditional Chinatowns, Heytea is determined to seamlessly integrate into local communities, aligning with its vision from day one – to create delightful tea beverages that bring joy to more people. This bold approach is essential for cementing our position as a strong, internationally recognized brand. We are confident that our premium products and lifestyle offerings will appeal to everyone seeking high-quality, innovative refreshments. JD: What role do collaborations with global brands such as Fendi and Marimekko play in Heytea’s strategy to differentiate itself? LZ: Collaborating with global brands sends a clear message: Heytea is for everyone, and these partnerships help us expand our presence overseas. From the start, we’ve positioned Heytea as a brand of inspiration, unafraid to take bold steps where others might not. Our goal has always been to lead in crossover marketing. When we choose to partner with other brands, we do so thoughtfully, ensuring their values align with ours and that the collaboration has the potential to expand our audience, giving Heytea exposure in different fields and introducing it to more people. JD: Given the intense competition from other tea chains, how does Heytea plan to maintain its growth momentum? LZ: Ultimately, it all comes down to the quality of our products. If we focus on delivering great products, we’ll naturally have opportunities to promote them and attract more people to Heytea. To fuel our international growth, we’re actively partnering with local brands. For instance, our first official and most groundbreaking UK collaboration to date will launch on September 4 in partnership with The Royal Opera and Ballet. This collaboration, which features a pop-up store inside the historic venue, coincides with the production of The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and will include an exclusive drink, “Midnight Tea Party,” and branded merchandise for the event. JD: How does Heytea leverage its presence in overseas Chinese communities, such as Chinatowns, to build brand loyalty and attract new customers in unfamiliar markets? LZ: Our first London store was in Chinatown, allowing us to capitalize on the affection that overseas Chinese communities have for Heytea. Whenever we launch a new product or open a new store, we prepare exclusive branded merchandise, which our customers love. This often leads to long queues and helps us attract attention from local consumers. We also encourage customers to share their experiences on social media to boost Heytea’s influence locally. In each market, we prepare special gifts – for instance, this year we released Heytea fridge magnets for Chinese New Year, available only in the UK market, to stimulate user-generated content. JD: What are your key learnings from the recent Paris pop-up during the Olympics, and how will they influence Heytea’s future expansion plans? LZ: We’ve observed significant potential in the European market. Consumers still perceive Asian tea either as ancient pure tea or common boba tea, which associates it with unhealthy artificial flavors and colors. However, Heytea offers a healthier alternative made with real ingredients and a zero-calorie sweetener option. While there’s a large market to tap into, there’s also a need to educate consumers about our products.

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Heytea goes global