| Native Name: | 霸王茶姬 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh |
| Founded: | 2017 |
| Founder: | Zhang Junjie |
| Hq Location City: | Chengdu (Operational) Shanghai (Global) |
| Num Locations: | over 4,000 (2024) |
| Key People: | Zhang Junjie (CEO) |
| Products: | Milk tea |
Chagee is a Chinese milk tea chain. It was founded in Yunnan in 2017 by Zhang Junjie.[1] Its Chinese name is based on the traditional Chinese opera Farewell My Concubine, with the logo based on a huadan opera actor.[2]
Its signature product is bubble tea made with fresh milk added to whole-leaf tea, named after ancient Chinese poems. Drinks are generally priced at RMB 20, around USD 2.75. The chain has been described as aiming to be the 'Oriental Starbucks', while previously resembling the style and products of Changsha-based milk tea chain Chayan Yuese. Its bags have also been compared to Dior packaging.[3] [4] The company operates based on a franchising-model.
Founder Zhang Junjie never attended higher education, but worked as a bubble tea store apprentice during his youth. He later gained experience in corporate governance while working at a Shanghai-based startup. After witnessing the opening of a Hey Tea store, in 2017 he started Chagee in Kunming. In 2021 the headquarters moved to Chengdu.[5] In 2019 the company opened its first store in Malaysia as well as in Singapore.[6] In 2022 its first store in Thailand opened.[7] During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Chagee operated a pop-up store in Paris.[8] As of 2024, the majority of its 100 overseas stores are located in Malaysia.
Media outlets estimated the revenue to be RMB 500 million in 2022. In 2023 the company opened 2,317 new outlets, reaching RMB 10.8 billion in revenue.[9] By 2024 there were over 4,000 Chagee stores worldwide.
Some black tea-based drinks sold by Chagee were found to have high polyphenol and caffeine contents of up to 150 mg of caffeine per 470 mL serving, which is within safe consumption limits, but may cause distress for some consumers.