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BeveragesSoutheast Asia

How did a bubble-tea brand grow from zero to more than ten stores in the Philippines?

A bubble-tea brand built from zero by our local Philippine partners: starting with Taiwanese tea, adapting local taste and pricing, validating the first store, then opening franchising—now with more than ten stores.

More than ten

From the first store to more than ten stores

Franchising

Franchising opened only after the first store was stable

Taiwanese tea

Ingredients imported from Taiwan; flavors and prices adapted locally

This is not a case we did for someone else; our partners built it themselves

This bubble-tea brand was built from zero by our local Philippine partners. They first built an English-language education organization—recruiting teachers, finding space, and enrolling their first student—then built this bubble-tea chain from zero.

We include it because these are the people beside Taiwanese brands when they set up in the Philippines: they have opened their first store, hired their first team, and decided for themselves when franchising should open.

Bubble tea at a counter
Bubble tea at a counter

International brands were already in the market

When it entered, international brands were already in the local bubble-tea market. A new brand did not need to be bigger than them; it needed to find its own position and protect its formula.

Start with Taiwanese tea, then adapt local taste and pricing

Taiwanese tea is the base, and ingredients are imported from Taiwan. But flavors and pricing were adjusted for local habits—what sells in Taiwan is not necessarily what people in the Philippines will pay for.

Three bubble teas with different flavors
Three bubble teas with different flavors

Validate one store before opening franchising

It did not roll out stores immediately. It opened one store first, confirmed that taste, pricing, and operations worked, then expanded through franchising. The brand now has more than ten stores in the Philippines.

We take Taiwanese brands to the Philippines in the same order: first ask local consumers through a Market Test, then list small volumes through Consignment; after that is stable, discuss Company Setup.

Month 9Company Setup

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