Gong Cha facts for kids
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| Industry | Food and beverage |
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| Founded | 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| Headquarters | , |
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Key people
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Wu Zhenhua (吳振華) (Founder) Martin Edward Berry (CEO) |
| Parent | Gong Cha Korea (70%) Gong Cha Global (30%) |
Gong Cha is a well-known tea shop chain that started in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It's famous for its tasty bubble tea and many other refreshing drinks. The name "Gong Cha" means "tribute tea" in Chinese, which refers to the special tea once given to emperors.
Gong Cha has grown a lot since it began. It first expanded to Hong Kong in 2009. By 2012, it had opened stores in many other countries. These included Macau, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.
The company continued to expand around the world. It opened in Mexico, the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and Cambodia. More recently, in 2023, Gong Cha arrived in Panama, Morocco, Belgium, and Portugal. In 2024, new stores opened in Saudi Arabia, Reunion, and Mauritius.
What Does "Gong Cha" Mean?
The name "Gong Cha" comes from two Chinese characters. The first character, "貢", means "contribution" or "tribute." The second character, "茶", means "tea." So, together, it means "tribute tea." This name connects to ancient times when the best tea was offered to the emperor.
The Story of Gong Cha
Gong Cha started as a tea company in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Its very first store in Hong Kong opened in 2009. This store was started by someone from Hong Kong who had lived in Taiwan for five years.
By 2012, Gong Cha had 46 stores in Hong Kong. Many of these were in MTR stations and shopping centers. Over time, the number of stores in Hong Kong changed.
Gong Cha offers about 57 different drinks. These drinks are divided into seven main types. They include house specials, brewed tea, milk tea, Creative Mix, coffee, Healthy Series, and ice smoothies. You can usually get these drinks in medium or large sizes. Some Gong Cha locations also sell tea sets and different types of tea leaves. They even offer food items like "Mochi Waffles" at some stores.
In 2017, a big change happened for Gong Cha. Kim Yeo-Jin, who owned Gong Cha Korea, bought 70% of the company. This purchase was supported by a company called Unison Capital. Later that year, Gong Cha Korea took over the main headquarters of Gong Cha. The CEO at the time, Kim Soo-Min, shared plans to open more stores in the Middle East and Latin America.
In 2019, another company called TA Associates invested in Gong Cha. They later bought all of Gong Cha Korea. In the same year, a UK company bought the remaining 30% of Gong Cha. This UK company was renamed Gong Cha Global in 2020. The global headquarters then moved to the United Kingdom.
See Also
- Bubble tea
- Tea house
- Tea culture
- List of companies of Taiwan
