Women enjoy milk tea on a street in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. [Newsis]
Women enjoy milk tea on a street in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. [Newsis]

A growing number of South Korean consumers — particularly women in their 20s and 30s — are swapping coffee for green tea, black tea and milk tea.

Industry sources said Wednesday that Chinese franchise brands are leading the tea beverage market. A survey released this month by research technology firm Opensurvey found that Chinese brands HEYTEA, CHAGEE and Chabaidao stood out prominently. Among respondents who said they intended to keep using a brand, HEYTEA led at 36.7 percent, followed by CHAGEE at 34.9 percent and Chabaidao at 30.1 percent.

The figures were especially high among women in their 20s and 30s. For HEYTEA, 51.7 percent of women in their 20s and 47.7 percent of women in their 30s said they planned to continue using the brand. CHAGEE posted rates of 53.8 percent and 41.5 percent, respectively, while Chabaidao recorded 45.5 percent among women in their 20s.

Brands built around brewed tea or milk tea topped with various ingredients grew rapidly across China around 2010, driven at the time by young women. Analysts say the same trend-conscious demographic is leading the charge in South Korea.

"Young female consumers who got used to drinking tea through the matcha trend are now buying a wider range of options like oolong tea and milk tea," an industry official said. "Visually striking menus featuring tapioca pearls or fruit have hit the mark with younger generations who are heavy social media users." Posts showing off drinks and customization tips are circulating widely online.

Chinese brands are also opening stores at a rapid pace. CHAGEE, which launched three locations in Gangnam, Yongsan and Sinchon in April, has been expanding steadily. After opening outlets at Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch and in Yeoksam, City Hall, Jongno and Konkuk University areas, it will open its ninth store at Lotte World Mall in Songpa-gu's Jamsil in September. Chabaidao operates 41 stores, Mixue 17 and HEYTEA five.

Convenience stores have also caught the tea wave. At GS25, sales of milk tea products jumped 111 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. The chain launched its first ready-to-drink cup product, "Your Royal Milk Tea," last month; it has sold more than 50,000 units through Wednesday, topping milk tea product sales. CU saw milk tea sales rise 85.7 percent over the same period.

Domestic franchise beverage chains are expanding their tea lineups as well. According to Starbucks, the number of tea items ranking in its annual top-10 sellers grew from one — its grapefruit honey black tea — in 2022 to three last year, adding Jeju matcha latte and yuzu mint tea. "As tea-centered beverage trends around matcha and hojicha continue, we are considering launching a wider variety of tea drinks," a Starbucks official said.


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