Introduction:The beverage giant Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has recently been reported to be equipping some of its stores with fully automatic coffee machines, piloting the launch of freshly ground coffee products. Although its subsidiary brand, Xingyun Ka (Lucky Cafe), which already operates tens of thousands of stores, focuses on the freshly ground coffee market, this move by the main brand has still drawn industry attention. This article delves into the progress of Mixue’s freshly ground coffee pilot, the direction of product upgrades, and explores potential adjustments in market positioning with its sub-brand, helping readers understand the actual impact of this development.
Recently, market rumors have emerged that the well-known tea beverage brand Mixue Ice Cream & Tea is planning to enter the freshly ground coffee market. Some franchisees revealed that the brand has begun outfitting new stores with fully automatic coffee machines and is expected to introduce freshly ground coffee products including Americano and Latte. Although the official launch date has not yet been announced, this move signals that Mixue Ice Cream & Tea may be formally entering this rapidly growing market.
Currently, Mixue Ice Cream & Tea’s menu includes coffee options such as Americano and Latte, but since it does not have professional coffee equipment, these products are mostly brewed using coffee powder and cannot deliver the aroma and taste of freshly ground coffee. It is understood that the newly introduced fully automatic coffee machines cost approximately 33,000 yuan per unit, but the brand is not mandating all stores to upgrade—currently, only some new stores have been equipped.
Sources close to Mixue Ice Cream & Tea indicated that the freshly ground coffee business is still in the early pilot stage, with initial testing likely taking place in a small number of stores in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Decisions about whether to expand will be based on feedback. In addition to equipment upgrades, the brand is also considering optimizing coffee products, including introducing new flavors, upgrading key ingredients such as coffee beans and milk, and maintaining its consistent low-price strategy.
In fact, the “fully automatic coffee machine” option has already appeared in Mixue Ice Cream & Tea’s merchant backend system, and new stores are required to reserve sufficient power and space for equipment installation. However, the official timeline for the launch of the coffee machines and new products has not yet been finalized, and industry speculation suggests that some time is still needed for internal adjustments and testing.
Notably, Mixue Ice Cream & Tea launched its sub-brand focused on freshly ground coffee, Xingyun Ka (Lucky Cafe), as early as 2017. As of November 2025, the number of stores under this brand has exceeded 10,000. Therefore, if the main brand also launches freshly ground coffee, there is widespread concern in the market that the two may overlap in product positioning and target customer groups, potentially affecting the consistency of the brand strategy.
According to market observations, as of February 11 of this year, the number of operational Lucky Cafe stores is approximately 8,409, which is still some way off from the publicly announced goal of 10,000 stores. Some analysts believe that Mixue Ice Cream & Tea might follow the approach of other tea beverage brands, such as TeaBuDao, which adjusted its coffee sub-brand before expanding its coffee business, to avoid internal competition.
In response to the external rumors, the official Mixue Ice Cream & Tea stated that there is currently no specific information available for disclosure and advised the public to pay attention to future official announcements. Industry insiders believe that this pilot is not only an attempt at brand diversification but could also provide important reference for future market layout, especially as competition in the affordable freshly ground coffee market intensifies.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
