Lollicup Coffee & Tea facts for kids

Lollicup Coffee & Tea is a well-known chain of tea shops. It was started by Lollicup USA, Inc., and its main office is in Chino, California. The company was founded in 2000 by Alan Yu and Marvin Cheng. Today, Lollicup has many locations and franchises across the United States and China. This fast-food chain is famous for its delicious bubble tea and coffee.

Lollicup also makes and sells many products. These include tea leaves, drink powders, jellies, syrups, and toppings for frozen yogurt. In 2015, the Los Angeles Times reported that Lollicup was supplying 70% of all boba (the chewy pearls in bubble tea) used in the United States! The company also has a part called Karat that makes disposable plastic and paper cups for other businesses.

How Lollicup Started

In the 1990s, boba milk tea became very popular in Taiwan. Seeing this, a Chinese American businessman named Alan Yu decided to bring the drink to North America. The very first Lollicup shop opened in San Gabriel, California, in the year 2000.

At that time, there were not many boba tea shops in the United States. Lollicup quickly became popular as people told their friends about it. Within just three months, five more Lollicup locations opened! By 2015, the company had opened more than 70 franchise stores in only three years.

For a while, Lollicup had a special program. It allowed other people to open Lollicup stores without paying a regular fee. By 2004, over 150 stores had opened across the country. However, because the quality was not always the same at every store, Lollicup stopped this program.

In 2014, Lollicup opened a large factory in Chino, California. This factory has 175 employees and helps make many of their products. Lollicup USA, Inc., has even been listed in the Inc. 5000 list. This list names the fastest-growing private companies in America. In 2013, Lollicup was ranked 2939 because it grew by 123% and made about $60 million.

Where to Find Lollicup Stores

As of November 8, 2013, there were 38 Lollicup stores open in the US and China. Three of these stores were directly run by the company in Alhambra, CA, Los Angeles, and Riverside, CA. In 2012, Lollicup opened its first international store in Chengdu, China.

Newer Lollicup stores have a modern and updated look. They often feature digital menu boards and screens that show special promotions.

• United States: 36 stores
• China: 2 stores (in Chengdu)