Mixue Ice Cream & Tea (Chinese: 蜜雪冰城; pinyin: Mìxuě Bīngchéng; lit. 'honey snow ice city') is a Chinese franchise of ice cream and iced tea chain stores founded in 1997 by Zhang Hongchao in Zhengzhou, Henan province. After more than 20 years of development in China, Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has 22,500 stores covering 31 provinces and autonomous regions and is actively exploring overseas markets. The first outlet outside of China opened in Vietnam in 2018, and the first in Indonesia was opened in 2020. As of 2023, there are roughly 1,000 Mixue outlets that operate in several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.[2][3][4] Several franchise outlets also exist in Australia.[5]

Mixue Group
Native name
Chinese蜜雪冰城股份有限公司
Literal meaningHoney Snow Ice City Joint Stock Limited Company
IndustryFood and drink
FoundedJinshui District, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
(June 1997 (1997-06))
FounderZhang Hongchao
Number of locations
36,153[1]: 168  (2023)
Area served
China, Hong Kong, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam
Key people
Zhang Hongchao (President Director)
ProductsIce cream, bubble tea, and tea
RevenueRMB13.6 billion[1]: 247  (2022)
RMB2.66 billion[1]: 247  (2022)
RMB2.01 billion[1]: 247  (2022)
Websiteen.mxbc.com Edit this at Wikidata

The company is famous for low prices. The statistical data for March 2024 shows that in terms of the number of outlets and cup delivery, Mixue ranks first among fresh beverage makers in China and second globally in the product category, and its market share in Southeast Asia ranked the top.[6]

Mixue Ice Cream & Tea is managed jointly by three companies: Mixue Ice Cream & Tea Co., Ltd., Henan Daga Food Co., Ltd., and Shangdao Intelligent Supply Chain Co., Ltd.[2]

History edit

 
Mixue's mascot, "Snow King" (雪王)

The Mixue Ice Cream & Tea brand was created in 1997 by Zhang Hongchao, a student at Henan University of Economics and Law.[7] At the time, it was a street stall in Zhengzhou that sold shaved ice and cold drinks, which he started from a 3,000-yuan loan from his grandmother.[8] Due to a lack of experience, Zhang had closed 3 stores in a little more than a year. Following the closure of his third store, Zhang went to Hefei in order to sell ice sugar gourd, which also failed.[9] In the spring of 1999, Zhang Hongchao returned to Zhengzhou to start a new cold drink shop, though this would also be demolished; the failures of these street stalls were attributed to poor locations and the ongoing urbanization in China.[9]

In August 2003, Zhang founded another Mixue store inside an abandoned aluminium factory.[10] Due to its location near a school, the store gained a good reputation among students, and the business gradually stabilized,[11][12] allowing Zhang to franchise the store to different locations by 2007.[13]

Timeline edit

1997: Zhang Hongchao opens the first location under the Mixue name.[8]

2003: The first successful Mixue Ice Cream & Tea opens after 6 relocations.[7][9]

2005 (or 2006[14]): The company began selling soft serve ice cream for as little as 1 yuan, which quickly became a sales hit and its first signature product.[15] In the first nine months of 2023, the company sold around 442 million ice cream cones in China.[6]

2007: Mixue Ice Cream & Tea opens a new ice cream shop, and the business begins the process of franchising to different locations.

2008: In response to the increasing number of franchises, Mixue Ice Cream & Tea Trading Co., Ltd. is established.[13]

2012: Henan Daga Food Co., Ltd. is established to facilitate self-production of raw materials for the franchise.

2014: Mixue Ice Cream & Tea Logistics Park is developed to facilitate distribution. Mixue Ice Cream & Tea continues developing and franchising throughout China.

September 5, 2018: The first location outside of China opens in Hanoi, Vietnam.[16]

November 2018: A new brand and mascot, Snow King, was officially launched.[17][18]

May 24–26, 2019: An "ice cream music festival" was held in Opalala Water Park, Zhengzhou. The festival received more than 30,000 visitors and gave the audience a full-scale eating and drinking experience.[19]

June 24, 2020: The 10,000th Mixue store is opened in Yuanyang County, Henan, Xinxiang.[20]

 
A Mixue outlet in Karawaci, Tangerang, Indonesia

2020: Mixue opens their first branch in Indonesia, located in Cihampelas Walk, Bandung.[4]

September 30, 2021: Mixue makes an initial public offering and goes public on the stock market.[citation needed]

2022: Mixue Ice Cream & Tea purchases more than 9,000 tons of tea, increasing the income of 50,000 tea farmers and providing a platform for more than 11,000 franchisees to start their own businesses and create more than 500,000 jobs. The 6.5 million yuan "Mixue Ice Cream & Tea Scholarship" was launched in five universities in Henan Province.[21] Throughout the year, Mixue opened hundreds of outlets in other Southeast countries such as Malaysia, Singapore,[22] Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.[23] At the end of 2022, Mixue opened branches in South Korea and Japan.[24][25]

February 2023: Mixue opens their first store in Sydney, Australia.[5][26] Additional stores open later on in the year in Melbourne and Brisbane.

From April 30 to May 1, 2023, the Mixue Ice Cream & Tea Ice Cream Festival opened in Mayan Beach Water Park in Wuhan, Hubei Province.

Charity edit

In January 2020, Zhengzhou Cross-Straits Enterprise Management Co., Ltd., a company associated with Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, donated RMB6 million to Henan Provincial Charity Federation and RMB1 million to Wenxian Red Cross to support the resistance to COVID-19.[27] Later on, in 2022, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a one-year reduction in the total amount of RMB200 million was made for all franchisees in operation since December 31, 2021. A "more than 50% material reduction" policy was introduced, including ingredients, packaging materials, consumables, and machinery.[28]

In 2021, in Anyue County, Mixue Ice Cream & Tea built its base further, employing more than 6,500 fruit farmers to supply Mixue Ice Cream & Tea with lemons each year.[29]

In July 2021, Henan Province was hit by extreme rainfall. Zhengzhou and nearby cities were hit by severe floods as a result. Mixue Ice Cream & Tea headquarters, which was located in the center of the disaster, actively launched rescue and disaster relief operations. The company's Chinese Communist Party committee was active in organizing relief efforts.[30] Mixue Ice Cream & Tea Co., Ltd. donated 20 million yuan in cash to the Zhengzhou Charity Association, and its wholly-owned subsidiary Daga International Food Co., Ltd. donated 2 million yuan to Henan Wenxian. Subsequently, one million yuan was presented to the charitable associations of Zhoukou, Xinxiang, Hebi, and Anyang. A total of 26 million yuan was donated, and a relief command center was set up to mobilize Mixue-associated warehouses in China to aid disaster-stricken areas.[31][32]

Controversies edit

Food safety edit

In December 2022, journalists from the Beijing News applied for jobs at two stores in Nanjing, where they were not required to sign labour contracts and discovered that "discarded" ingredients and "corner-cutting measures" were being used. The story was reported in March 2023, and as of March 14, 2023, the number of complaints on the Black Cat Complaint Platform reached 4,435, most of which were food safety issues.[33]

Illegal use of child labour edit

According to China's national law, minors who are under the age of 16 cannot be recruited for work, and the labor and social security administrative department can impose a penalty of 5,000 yuan per month for each child laborer hired.[34][35][36] On April 2, 2022, a Mixue drink shop in Tiantai County was fined 12,500 yuan for the illegal use of child labor by the local comprehensive administrative enforcement bureau after hiring a 15-year-old girl.[37] The owner of the punished franchise store admitted fault in an interview with the media and said he realized his mistake to hire the 15-year-old minor, but claimed that the minor had been abandoned by her family, and so he sympathetically let her work at his store. He confirmed that the minor had since left.[34] In July of the same year, Liaocheng Chiping County Mixue drink shop was fined 5,000 yuan for the illegal use of child labor.[38]

Halal certification in Indonesia edit

Mixue products in Indonesia have been certified Halal since February 2023, after the Institute for Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Assessment of the Indonesian Ulema Council (LPPOM MUI) issued halal certification of ingredients used in their products.[39][40]

Before certification, Indonesians had questioned the absence of halal certification in Mixue's products.[41] According to PT Zhisheng Pacific Trading, the franchiser of Mixue in Indonesia, Mixue Indonesia has made efforts to obtain halal certification since 2021. However, the certification process was halted in the halal consultation stage due to several factors; concerns were brought up due to the fact that 90% of Mixue's ingredients are from China, the source of the ingredients was not centralized in one whole region, and strict health measures and protocols were required at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China.[42] In response to these concerns, the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Body and the Ministry of Religious Affairs requested that Mixue not indicate that their products are halal before certification was completed.[43][44]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d MIXUE Group Application Proof (1st submission) (PDF). Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. 2024-01-02.
  2. ^ a b "蜜雪冰城—since1997 冰淇淋与茶连锁品牌". www.mxbc.com. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  3. ^ Rakhmat, Muhammad Zulfikar; Purnama, Yeta (2023-07-17). "Mixue on the march: ice cream serves soft power for China in Southeast Asia". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  4. ^ a b "Mixue on the march: ice cream serves soft power for China in Southeast Asia". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  5. ^ a b Pandaily (2023-02-15). "Chinese Tea Chain Mixue Opens First Store in Australia". Pandaily. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  6. ^ a b ZHENG YIRAN (2024-03-27). "Mixue's rags-to-riches tale inspirational for peer firms". China Daily.
  7. ^ a b 徐一 (2020-10-13). "估值200亿、高瓴及美团系入股?蜜雪冰城紧急回应 | 极刻". www.dahecube.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  8. ^ a b 商讯 (2020-06-24). "蜜雪冰城门店规模破万 河南品牌走向全球_新浪河南_新浪网". henan.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  9. ^ a b c "蜜雪冰城23年血泪创业史:关门3次,被拆4次,创始人被弟弟"怼"出局_张红超". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  10. ^ "拿着奶奶资助的3000元创业,靠2元冰淇淋年入65亿,凭什么逆袭?_张红超". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  11. ^ FoodBud食品资本局 (2022-07-22). "蜜雪冰城CEO张红甫自述创业史,万店的成长基因是什么?". www.foodtalks.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  12. ^ 李严 (2020-06-22). "新京报 - 好新闻,无止境". www.bjnews.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  13. ^ a b 刘睿祎 (2022-12-12). "透视蜜雪冰城IPO:直营门店毛利率为负 百亿营收加盟商占绝对"优势"-新华网". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  14. ^ 江飞 (2021-01-25). "3元/支卖到爆,茶饮店要不要学习蜜雪冰城上冰淇淋?|界面新闻 · JMedia". www.jiemian.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  15. ^ Michelle Toh; Hassan Tayir (2024-01-04). "Two of China's bubble tea giants are gearing up for IPOs". CNN.
  16. ^ 澎湃新闻 (2021-07-23). "卷入越南,蜜雪冰城能延续甜蜜蜜吗?". finance.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  17. ^ 红星新闻 (2021-10-13). "蜜雪冰城,失去"雪王"?|蜜雪冰城|国家知识产权局_新浪科技_新浪网". Archived from the original on 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  18. ^ 窄门餐眼 (2022-11-18). "2022年全球排名100连锁餐饮品牌榜单揭晓". www.foodtalks.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  19. ^ 王勇生 (2019-05-30). "蜜雪冰城冰淇淋音乐节罗志祥汪苏泷等20多位明星大咖精彩开唱,现场挑战3000人同吃冰淇淋!_央广网". hn.cnr.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  20. ^ 彭华 (2020-06-24). "蜜雪冰城门店规模破万,河南品牌走向全球_央广网". hn.cnr.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  21. ^ 河南日报 (2023-04-13). "蜜雪冰城发布2022年社会责任报告 全产业链带动超50万人就业". Weixin Official Accounts Platform. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  22. ^ "Famous Chinese Soft-Serve Chain Mixue, Opens Their First S'pore Outlet In Clementi With $1 Soft-Serve Cones!". Singapore Foodie. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  23. ^ Pandaily (2022-11-16). "Chinese Tea Brands Including Mixue and HeyTea Eye Southeast Asia". Pandaily. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  24. ^ "小红书". www.xiaohongshu.com. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  25. ^ Pandaily (2022-12-05). "Chinese Tea Chain Mixue Enters South Korea and Japan". Pandaily. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  26. ^ Dong, Irene (2023-02-17). "Chinese tea chain Mixue opens its first Australia location, in Sydney". Inside Retail. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  27. ^ 汪宁 (2020-02-01). "支援阻击疫情攻坚战 蜜雪冰城向省慈善总会捐款600万_央广网". hn.cnr.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  28. ^ 中国饮品快报 (2022-04-22). "2亿元不要了 蜜雪冰城是怎么打算的?". www.foodtalks.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  29. ^ KJ005 (2021-08-10). "助力乡村振兴!蜜雪冰城冰鲜柠檬水成为主打产品的秘密在这里_中华网". tech.china.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "新时代新征程 蜜雪冰城股份有限公司党支部正式升格为党总支". China Daily. 2022-01-10. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  31. ^ 张龙 (2021-07-23). "蜜雪冰城捐助2200万,并组织员工向河南多市送食品物资救援-大河网". xf.dahe.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  32. ^ 王红霞 (2021-07-23). "洪灾无情,餐企有爱!越来越多餐饮人驰援河南!_央广网". ent.cnr.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  33. ^ 迟道华 (2023-03-15). "蜜雪冰城不要在食品安全问题上屡屡翻车 | 新京报快评". www.bjnews.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  34. ^ a b laitimes (2022-04-08). "Franchise stores were exposed to use child labor 20,000 Michelle Ice City is sprinting for an IPO". laitimes. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  35. ^ sina_mobile (2022-07-13). "蜜雪冰城门店再因违法使用童工被罚". finance.sina.cn. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  36. ^ "China. REGULATIONS BANNING CHILD LABOUR , 2002". www.ilo.org. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  37. ^ 媒体滚动 (2022-04-10). "蜜雪冰城"童工事件"上热搜,今年还能上市吗?". finance.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  38. ^ 三言财经 (2022-07-13). "蜜雪冰城门店再因违法使用童工被罚". finance.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  39. ^ "Tetapkan Kehalalan Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, MUI: Produknya Halal dan Suci". Majelis Ulama Indonesia. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-18.[dead link]
  40. ^ Situmorang, Hendro D. W. I. R. (ed.). "MUI Paparkan Proses Mixue dalam Mengajukan Sertifikasi Halal". beritasatu.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  41. ^ Henry (2022-12-29). "Sudah Buka di Banyak Tempat, Mengapa Mixue Indonesia Belum Tersertifikasi Halal?". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  42. ^ Utami, Sinar. Fajri, Moh (ed.). "Es Krim Mixue Indonesia Belum Bersertifikasi Halal, Ini Penjelasan Manajemen". kumparan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  43. ^ Rahayu, Lisye Sri. "Kemenag: Belum Punya Sertifikat, Mixue Jangan Pasang Logo Halal!". detiknews (in Indonesian). detikcom. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  44. ^ Firmansyah, Asep (2023-01-02). Hadi, Bambang Sutopo (ed.). "Kemenag: Mixue belum bersertifikat halal, tak boleh pasang logo halal". antaranews.com. Retrieved 2023-01-02.

External links edit