# Gong cha Global

> Gong cha Global is a London-headquartered, Taiwan-born premium tea company and franchise network that sells freshly brewed, highly customizable bubble tea through nearly 2,200 locations in more than 30 markets. Its advantage is not one secret recipe but a repeatable system: whole-leaf tea sourcing, quality controls, local menu adaptation, franchise support and increasingly automated store operations.

- **Founded:** 2006
- **Headquarters:** London, United Kingdom
- **Founders:** Super Wu (Founder)
- **Team size:** LinkedIn lists 10,001+ employees; supplied company data estimates 22,000 across the organization and network.
- **Products:** Freshly brewed whole-leaf tea, Milk Foam tea, Pearl milk tea, Fruit tea, lattes and smoothies, Franchise platform
- **Notable:** Expanded from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to nearly 2,200 locations across more than 30 international markets., Crossed 1,000 stores in 2019, 1,500 stores in 2022 and 2,000 stores in 2023., Ranked number one in the Tea category of Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 for five consecutive years from 2022 through 2026.

## Products & services

- **Freshly brewed whole-leaf tea** — Premium tea drinks brewed from leaves sourced principally from Taiwan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, with sweetness and ice customization.
- **Milk Foam tea** — Tea topped with Gong cha's signature lightly savory, creamy milk foam, developed from Super Wu's early experiments.
- **Pearl milk tea** — Taiwanese-style milk tea with tapioca pearls, the chain's flagship category.
- **Fruit tea, lattes and smoothies** — Fruit-forward teas, milk-based drinks, smoothies and seasonal beverages adapted by market.
- **Franchise platform** — Territory development, store formats, training, supply-chain access, operating technology, product launches and marketing support for franchisees.
- **Gong cha 2.0** — A modernized store and operations program using automated tea brewing and ingredient dispensing to improve speed and consistency.

## Achievements

- Expanded from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to nearly 2,200 locations across more than 30 international markets.
- Crossed 1,000 stores in 2019, 1,500 stores in 2022 and 2,000 stores in 2023.
- Ranked number one in the Tea category of Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 for five consecutive years from 2022 through 2026.
- Named the Top Food & Beverage Franchises category winner at the Global Franchise Awards in 2023 and 2025.
- Ranked number 134 on the 2025 Franchise Times Top 400 by global systemwide sales.
- Gong cha 2.0 pilots reported drink preparation in 43 seconds and up to a 65% rise in peak productivity.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Bain Capital reportedly agreed to acquire Gong cha from TA Associates in a transaction reported at more than $635 million.
- **2026-07** — Gong cha announced a Harry Potter campaign celebrating the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
- **2026-07** — A Texas development deal with Bakers Acres & Cattle Company targeted 50 stores across the state's four largest metro areas over seven years.
- **2026-03** — The company acquired master franchise rights covering 170 U.S. stores in 13 states to bring the territory in-house.
- **2026-02** — Gong cha introduced Gong cha 2.0 after a two-year, 13-country pilot of updated store design and automated drink preparation.
- **2025-11** — SumUp became Gong cha's exclusive payments and digital-operations partner in the Americas.
- **2025-10** — The company said Singapore would relaunch under new local franchisees in 2026 after the existing network closed.

## Links

- Website: https://www.gong-cha.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gongchagloballtd
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/gongchatea
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gongchatea/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gongchatea
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gongchausa

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/gong-cha-global
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13