Hey Tea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
HEYTEA

HeyTea location in Guangzhou
Type	Private
Industry	Tea shops
Founded	2012 in Jiangmen
Headquarters	Nanshan District, Shenzhen , China
Parent	Shenzhen Meixixi Catering Management
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	深圳美西西餐饮管理有限公司
Traditional Chinese	深圳美西西餐飲管理有限公司
Literal meaning	Shenzhen Meixixi (Beautiful West West) Food and Beverage Management Co., Ltd.
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shēnzhèn Měixīxī Cānyǐn Guǎnlǐ Yǒuxiàngōngsī Yue: Cantonese Jyutping sam1 zan3 mei5 sai1 sai1 caan1 jam2 gun1 lei5 jau5 haan6 gung1 si1

A Hey Tea store in Hong Kong

Some popular drinks from Hey Tea

Hey Tea (which means "Happy Tea" in Chinese) is a very popular tea drink chain from China. It started in 2012 and has its main office in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China.

Hey Tea began as a small shop called "Royal Tea" in Jiangmen city. This is in Guangdong Province, China. The brand grew quickly, opening stores in many cities across China. They had to change their name from "Royal Tea" to "Hey Tea" in 2016 because of a legal issue with the original name. By early 2021, Hey Tea had more than 650 stores, mostly in China.

Hey Tea is known as a "wanghong" brand. This means it's super popular on social media. People love its cool store designs, pretty packaging, and new kinds of drinks. Young people, especially those born between 1981 and 1996 (called millennials), are their main customers. Most Hey Tea stores are in big shopping malls. Their most famous drinks are different kinds of cheese tea and fruit tea. The cheese in their special cheese tea is a mix of cheese, milk, cream, and salt.

The Story of Hey Tea

Hey Tea started in 2012 as "Royal Tea" in Jiangmen. They changed their name to Hey Tea in 2016. This was because they couldn't get a special legal right (a trademark) for the name "Royal Tea."

Growing Across China

In 2015, Hey Tea opened stores in big cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen. These are two of the most important cities in China.

In 2016, Hey Tea got a lot of money (100 million yuan) from investors. This helped them open stores in Guangxi province.

In 2017, Hey Tea came to Shanghai. Their first store there, at Raffles City Shanghai, caused a huge stir. People waited in very long lines just to try their drinks! In the same year, they also opened a bakery called "Hey Tea Mix" in Guangzhou.

Expanding Internationally

In 2018, Hey Tea opened its first store in Hong Kong at New Town Plaza. After that, they opened more stores in Hong Kong, including at Hong Kong Times Square and Hysan Place.

Hey Tea now has stores in many major cities in China. They also have stores in Singapore. In 2021, Hey Tea even released a new milk tea drink.

In December 2023, Hey Tea opened its first store in the United States. It was in the heart of Manhattan, New York City. By January 2025, there were 15 Hey Tea stores in New York City.

Types of Hey Tea Stores

The first Hey Tea store in Manchester, UK, on its opening day

Hey Tea has different kinds of stores, each with its own special style:

• Standard Stores: These are the regular Hey Tea shops.
• Hey Tea Lab: This is a special "lab-style" store. It's like a creative space for new ideas. The first one opened in Shenzhen in 2016.
• Hey Tea Black: These stores have a cool black and gold design. The first one opened in Shenzhen in 2017.
• Hey Tea Mix: These stores mainly sell freshly baked bread along with drinks. The first one opened in Guangzhou in 2017.
• Hey Tea Pink: These stores are designed with a pink theme. They are made to appeal to young women. The first one opened in Shenzhen in 2017.
• Hey Tea DP: These stores are part of the "HEYTEA Daydreamer Project." They work with independent designers to create unique spaces. The first one opened in Shenzhen in 2017.
• Hey Tea Go: These are smaller stores where customers can order their drinks online using the Hey Tea Go App.

Popular Drinks

Hey Tea is famous for its unique and tasty drinks. Here are some of their classic choices:

• Original Cheese Tea Series: These are their signature drinks, topped with a creamy cheese foam.
• Fresh Fruit Tea Series: These drinks are made with real fresh fruits.
• Light Cheezo Tea Series: A lighter version of their popular cheese teas.
• Season Limited Tea Series: Special drinks that are only available for a short time, often using seasonal ingredients.