Introduction:Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has launched China’s first "Snow King Castle Experience Store" at Zhengzhou Guomao, breaking away from traditional bubble tea conventions by integrating skewers, coffee, ice cream, and local Henan cuisine elements. This has resulted in quirky combinations like noodles-in-milk tea and flatbread ice cream. This article takes you through the highlights of this cross-industry experience store, its signature drinks, and brand strategy—see if such innovation can set a new trend in the beverage market.
As the leading chain bubble tea brand in China in terms of store count, Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has long been popular among students and office workers for its high cost-performance ratio. On September 28 this year, the brand officially opened its first nationwide "Snow King Castle Experience Store" at Zhengzhou Guomao, marking an important step in its transformation from a simple ice cream and tea shop to a multifunctional leisure space. This new store not only offers creatively fused beverages but also combines skewers, coffee, desserts, merchandise, and entertainment facilities to create a comprehensive experiential space.
When it comes to Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, many people immediately think of that catchy earworm jingle: “You love me, I love you, Mixue is so sweet…” The brand currently has over 10,000 stores across China, found on nearly every major city street corner, and its high visibility and convenience have made it a daily choice for many. Most of its products are priced under ten yuan, with some popular items even available for just three yuan, successfully building a down-to-earth image as the “favorite of students and working-class people.”
However, this new experience store launched by Mixue in Zhengzhou has greatly overturned consumers' previous impressions of the brand. The new store has not only upgraded its drink formulations but also introduced skewers, freshly made desserts, freshly ground coffee, and claw game machines, forming a composite space that combines dining, entertainment, and shopping. Particularly noteworthy is how the brand has cleverly integrated local Henan specialties such as noodles-in-soup and baked flatbread into creative drink designs, sparking heated discussions online.
It is understood that this experience store, named "Mixue Castle," is divided into nine themed zones: the food preparation and service area, coffee & bakery zone, milk tea & fruit tea zone, skewer zone, ice cream house, ice cream interaction zone, Snow King Magic Shop, themed photo zone, and rest area. Each zone is manned by staff, allowing customers not only to enjoy a variety of drinks and snacks but also to participate in DIY ice cream making and purchase a rich selection of official merchandise, meeting diverse consumer needs.
Among the most eye-catching creative drinks are the "Noodles-in-Soup Milk Tea," which adds real noodles to a coconut milk base, and the "Flatbread Ice Cream," which wraps ice cream in baked flatbread. These attempts to incorporate local characteristics have received mixed reviews online—some find them novel, fun, and layered, while others feel the flavor combinations are slightly off—but they have undoubtedly attracted a large number of curious visitors. If you’re in Zhengzhou, why not try them out for yourself and see if these cross-category combinations suit your taste?
From a brand strategy perspective, the launch of this experience store is another move by Mixue Ice Cream & Tea in its industrial chain and diversified brand development. According to official statements, the brand has established an integrated production chain from raw material R&D and central warehousing to brand operations. In early June, it also invested in setting up an agriculture-related company, signaling its gradual expansion from downstream sales toward upstream supply chain control to enhance its dominance over raw materials and differentiation advantages.
In addition, Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has recently leveraged its new theme song and strengthened the Snow King IP image to spark social media discussions, infusing the brand with more emotional connection and recognition. In the fiercely competitive bubble tea market, winning solely on product price is no longer enough. How to capture consumers’ hearts through brand storytelling, consumer experience, and innovative products has become a key challenge for all brands. Mixue’s bold attempt is undoubtedly an in-depth exploration targeting the Gen Z and young family markets.
In summary, this Snow King Castle Experience Store in Zhengzhou is not just an experiment in brand upgrading by Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, but may also signal a new direction for future chain beverage brands in scene innovation and cross-industry operations. Whether such an innovative model can successfully reshape the public’s existing perception of the brand and further enhance its brand value remains something to watch closely.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
