--- title: "What are the most popular milk tea and coffee chains in China?" url: https://popularinchina.com/food/most-popular-milk-tea-and-coffee-chains-in-china section: "Food" type: answer updated: 2026-10-25 next_review: 2026-12-25 status: checked author: "The Popular in China desk" publisher: Popular in China (https://popularinchina.com) license: Quote with attribution and a link to https://popularinchina.com/food/most-popular-milk-tea-and-coffee-chains-in-china --- # What are the most popular milk tea and coffee chains in China? _China has more than 950,000 tea and coffee shops. A handful of home-grown chains own the street corners, and Starbucks is no longer the biggest coffee name._ **Verdict: Mixue** (蜜雪冰城) — China’s biggest drinks chain; Luckin leads coffee ## Short answer Mixue (蜜雪冰城) is China’s biggest drinks chain, with about 64,000 stores by mid-2026 counting its Lucky Cup coffee shops. In tea, Goodme and Shanghai Auntie follow with more than 13,000 each. In coffee, Luckin leads with 36,310 stores, followed by Cotti; Starbucks has about 8,000. ## At a glance - **Biggest tea chain:** Mixue 蜜雪冰城 (~64,000 stores incl. Lucky Cup) - **Biggest coffee chain:** Luckin 瑞幸 (36,310 stores) - **Starbucks China:** 8,011 stores; 60% now owned by Boyu Capital - **Tea and coffee shops in China:** More than 950,000 - **Average spend per drink order:** ¥17.4 (2024) ## How we know - **Tea stores** (strong): Mixue Group had 63,987 stores, Goodme 14,351 and Shanghai Auntie 13,120 in their mid-2026 results. [1] - **Coffee stores** (strong): Luckin had 36,310 stores at the end of June 2026 and 112.7 million monthly customers. [3] - **Starbucks** (strong): Starbucks had 8,011 stores in China at the end of December 2025; a Boyu Capital fund now owns 60% of its China business. [5] - **Market** (strong): China had more than 950,000 made-to-order drink shops in 2025, including about 650,000 tea shops and more than 280,000 coffee shops. [7] ## The biggest milk tea chains Store counts from each company’s results for the first half of 2026. [1][2][8] | Rank | Chain | Chinese | Stores | Known for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Mixue | 蜜雪冰城 | 63,987 (group, incl. Lucky Cup) | Very cheap ice cream, lemonade and milk tea; snowman mascot | | 2 | Goodme | 古茗 | 14,351 | Fruit teas, from Zhejiang | | 3 | Shanghai Auntie | 沪上阿姨 | 13,120 | Milk tea and fruit tea | | 4 | Chabaidao | 茶百道 | 8,863 | Fruit tea and milk tea, from Chengdu | | 5 | CHAGEE | 霸王茶姬 | 7,639 | Fresh-brewed milk tea; listed in New York | | 6 | Nayuki | 奈雪的茶 | 1,685 | Larger shops with bakery | | — | HEYTEA | 喜茶 | Not published | Premium tea; known for cheese-foam tea | Mixue’s total includes its Lucky Cup coffee shops and Fulujia beer shops. HEYTEA is private and does not report store numbers. ## The biggest coffee chains | Rank | Chain | Chinese | Stores | As of | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Luckin | 瑞幸 | 36,310 | 30 June 2026 | | 2 | Cotti | 库迪 | More than 15,000 | Mid-2026 | | 3 | Lucky Cup | 幸运咖 | More than 10,000 | End of 2025 | | 4 | Starbucks | 星巴克 | 8,011 | 28 December 2025 | | 5 | Tims China | Tims天好咖啡 | 1,028 | 30 June 2026 | | — | Manner, M Stand, Costa | | Not published | | Lucky Cup belongs to Mixue Group. Luckin’s total includes a small number of shops in Singapore, Malaysia and the US. > **Note: From our editor** > > “Besides the national chains, there are many milk-tea brands you only find in one city.” — Alex Liu ## Why the chains got so big, and what is changing Most of these chains grow through franchising, opening thousands of small, cheap-to-run shops, many of them for pickup and delivery only. More than 40% of made-to-order drinks are now sold through delivery apps. Competition has pushed prices down: the average spend per order fell from ¥21.6 in 2023 to ¥17.4 in 2024. Growth is slowing. Tea-shop numbers have levelled off at about 650,000, and closures are rising: in the first half of 2026 Mixue closed 1,289 franchise stores and Goodme 521. Coffee is still expanding faster, with shop numbers up 17.9% in a year to August 2025, led by Luckin and Cotti. Sources: [2][7] > **Note: Ordering as a visitor** > > Most chains take orders through a WeChat or Alipay mini-program as well as at the counter, and many shops are pickup-only. You choose sugar level (正常糖 normal, 少糖 less, 无糖 none) and ice (少冰 less ice, 去冰 no ice). ## Questions **What is the biggest milk tea chain in China?** Mixue (蜜雪冰城), with 63,987 group stores in mid-2026 including its Lucky Cup coffee shops. **Is Luckin bigger than Starbucks in China?** Yes, by far: 36,310 Luckin stores at the end of June 2026 against 8,011 Starbucks stores at the end of 2025. **Who owns Starbucks China?** Since April 2026 a fund managed by Boyu Capital owns 60% of Starbucks’ China retail business; Starbucks keeps 40% and owns the brand. **Is CHAGEE popular?** Yes. CHAGEE (霸王茶姬) had 7,639 stores in its 2026 interim results and is listed in New York; its overseas sales more than doubled in the second quarter of 2026. ## Sources 1. [Huxiu, tea chains’ 2026 interim results: store counts (31 August 2026, in Chinese)](https://m.huxiu.com/article/4887368.html) — accessed 2026-10-25 2. [Hangzhou News, Tea chains’ first-half 2026 results: openings and closures (1 September 2026, in Chinese)](https://hznews.hangzhou.com.cn/jingji/content/2026-09/01/content_9295116.htm) — accessed 2026-10-25 3. [Luckin Coffee, second quarter 2026 financial results](https://investor.lkcoffee.com/news-releases/news-release-details/luckin-coffee-announces-second-quarter-2026-financial-results) — accessed 2026-10-25 4. [Huxiu, China’s coffee chains in 2026: Luckin, Cotti, Starbucks, Lucky Cup (15 August 2026, in Chinese)](https://www.huxiu.com/article/4883305.html) — accessed 2026-10-25 5. [10jqka, Starbucks completes Boyu joint venture; 8,011 stores in China (3 April 2026, in Chinese)](https://stock.10jqka.com.cn/20260403/c675754468.shtml) — accessed 2026-10-25 6. [Tims China, second quarter 2026 financial results (18 August 2026)](https://finviz.com/news/383060/tims-china-announces-second-quarter-2026-financial-results) — accessed 2026-10-25 7. [Huxiu / Hongcan, China restaurant brand white paper 2025 (26 September 2025, in Chinese)](https://www.huxiu.com/article/4785344.html) — accessed 2026-10-25 8. [Winshang, Nayuki 2026 interim results: 1,685 stores (28 August 2026, in Chinese)](https://m.winshang.com/news741829.html) — accessed 2026-10-25 ## Related - https://popularinchina.com/food/most-popular-chinese-food - https://popularinchina.com/food/chinese-snacks - https://popularinchina.com/cities/shanghai --- Canonical page: https://popularinchina.com/food/most-popular-milk-tea-and-coffee-chains-in-china