Tag: Gong Cha

  • Sharetea bubble tea arrives in Vietnam

    Sharetea bubble tea arrives in Vietnam

    Taiwanese bubble-tea brand Sharetea has launched into Vietnam with a store on the walking street of Nguyen Hue in central Ho Chi Minh City.

    Sharetea has more than 450 stores in more than 18 countries. Its drinks are made from tea leaves and ingredients shipped directly from Taiwan.

    It says its customers’ favourite drinks include coffee milk tea, kiwifruit tea, whole-lemon green tea and pearl black milk tea.

    Vietnam’s bubble-tea market has yet to reach its potential, say business owners in the sector. Sharetea is competing with other overseas brands like Chatime, Gong Cha and Koi.

  • Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart heads to Australia

    Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart heads to Australia

    Food enterprise ST Group has launched Japanese-style Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart outlets in Australia.

    Using a traditional recipe involving three cheeses from Japan’s dairy heartland of Hokkaido, the tarts have already been introduced in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Shanghai and Singapore. Six outlets are planned for Australia, three in Melbourne to be followed by three in Sydney next year.

    The first Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart stores launched in Malaysia this year, selling up to 20,000 units a day.

    Designed by Eat Architects, Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart kiosks are compact with a luxury aesthetic, featuring marble benchtop displays and low-slung designer lighting. The tarts are displayed like precious gems.

    ST Group MD Tatt Ghee Saw says Australia’s multicultural society is continually evolving, along with its palate and cuisine preferences. “At ST Group we are passionate about sharing the foods we love in Southeast Asia. ”

    Tatt Ghee Saw

    He established the group in 2011, recognising the need for comforting cultural eateries, much like the hawker’s markets and corner laksa stores of his native Kuala Lumpur.

    His first venture was PappaRich in Melbourne, which attracted long queues. It is now a major franchise enterprise with 26 stores throughout Australia and New Zealand. The group’s other brands are NeNe Chicken, Gong Cha (New Zealand only) and iDarts Australia.

  • Gong Cha Korea to expand globally

    Gong Cha Korea to expand globally

    Bubble tea brand Gong Cha Korea is planning international expansion.

    Aided by the global passion for Hallyu, or the so-called Korean Wave, Gong Cha plans to open stores in the Middle East and Europe. It will also buy more than 1380 stores in 18 countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.

    Currently, Gong Cha Korea operates only about 360 stores in its home market, which last year brought in KRW8 billion (US$7 million) profit – representing 11 per cent growth year-on-year.

    As most of Gong Cha’s customers are aged from 10 to their 30s, the company expects entering new foreign markets will be easier through creating synergies with Hallyu.

    The expansion will be facilitated by a share transaction with its parent company Royal Tea Taiwan in which the Korean business will progressively boost its ownership from 35 per cent to 70 per cent by January 2017.

    Royal Tea Taiwan was launched in 2006, and introduced to Korea by franchisee Kim Yeo-jin in 2012. Two years later, Japanese private equity fund Unison Capital bought 70 per cent of the Korean business.