Introduction:The new Chinese-style tea beverage brand Jasmine Milk White recently completed a financing round of nearly RMB 100 million, led by Alibaba Local Services, with Xiangyang Capital serving as the exclusive financial advisor. The funds from this round will be used for product research and development, brand building, supply chain upgrades, and store expansion. Since its establishment in 2020, the brand has focused on fresh milk teas featuring oriental floral aromas such as jasmine, and currently has 785 stores nationwide. It has also entered New York and Bangkok, demonstrating potential for global expansion. This article takes you in-depth to understand its development strategy and market layout.
The new Chinese-style tea beverage brand Jasmine Milk White has just announced that it has successfully secured nearly RMB 100 million in financing, with this round led by Alibaba Local Services and supported by Xiangyang Capital as the exclusive financial advisor. The funds raised will primarily be invested in product innovation, brand image development, optimization of the supply chain system, as well as team expansion and training. It will also strengthen support for franchisees and continue to optimize the lightweight operational model of stores.
Established in 2020, Jasmine Milk White started in Shenzhen, with its first flagship product being 'Jasmine Milk White.' This product is based on classic Jasmine Dragon Pearls tea, blended with subtle floral notes, successfully entering the fresh milk tea market and being one of the earlier brands to focus specifically on jasmine-flavored tea drinks. Founder Zhang Bocheng has extensive experience in the food and beverage industry, having been involved in Chinese cuisine, baking, and beverages among other areas. Based on his observations of the market, he found that fresh milk tea was gradually becoming a mainstream consumer trend, yet jasmine tea — one of the most common and widely accepted tea options — had not yet been the focus of any dedicated brand. Thus, he decided to make it his entry point.
Jasmine Milk White has a clear brand positioning, centered around the core strategy of 'Eastern Fragrance Chasing New Tea Drinks,' developing a series of fresh milk teas with distinctive oriental flavors centered on China’s traditional four white flowers — jasmine, gardenia, magnolia, and osmanthus. These products not only highlight floral aromas but also transform tea drinks from mere sweet beverage choices into ones infused with more cultural depth, conveying the concept of 'enjoying good tea effortlessly' and allowing consumers to experience the charm of oriental tea culture in their daily lives.
In an interview, brand founder Zhang Bocheng stated that from the very beginning, Jasmine Milk White chose to focus on 'Chinese tea' and 'jasmine aroma' as the brand’s core. Unlike many competitors that mainly offer fruit teas, Jasmine Milk White places greater emphasis on the integration of the essence and fragrance of tea, presenting an 'Oriental Modern' aesthetic through visuals and naming, further strengthening brand recognition. He also emphasized that the brand’s mission is to make oriental tea drinks a part of everyday life, allowing more people to easily access and develop a liking for Chinese tea.
Faced with the intense competition in the current new tea beverage market — including continuous innovations from fruit tea brands such as Heytea and Guming, and even coffee brands like Luckin and Starbucks entering the fresh milk tea market — Jasmine Milk White has chosen a differentiation strategy to solidify its position. The brand has recently actively adjusted its store models, introducing a lightweight store solution that reduces store size from over 60 square meters in prime commercial areas to a compact 35–40 square meter model. This effectively lowers initial investment costs, shortens the payback period, and improves overall operational efficiency and profitability.
As of now, Jasmine Milk White has opened more than 785 stores nationwide, with revenue growth approaching 400% over the past year, demonstrating strong market expansion capabilities. The brand expects to exceed 1,000 stores by the end of 2024, further consolidating its market position. In addition, Jasmine Milk White is actively expanding into overseas markets, having opened its first international stores in New York, USA and Bangkok, Thailand. It plans to continue growing its global footprint, with the goal of bringing oriental tea culture into the daily lives of more international consumers.
Regarding this investment, Ele.me, Alibaba’s local life services platform, stated that 'growing together with the ecosystem' is its long-term mission, and the platform will continue to grow alongside brand merchants, jointly enhancing service quality and user experience. This move also demonstrates Alibaba Local Services’ long-term optimism for the new Chinese-style tea beverage market, as well as high recognition of Jasmine Milk White’s brand development potential.
Overall, with a clear product positioning, differentiated market strategy, and flexible store model, Jasmine Milk White has successfully stood out in the fiercely competitive tea beverage market and is gradually achieving the leap from a domestic brand to an international one. In the future, with the launch of more floral series products and the expansion of global stores, Jasmine Milk White is expected to become a key promoter of oriental tea culture and secure a place in the global market.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
