Kung Fu Tea, a leading bubble tea brand and shop, is entering a new space entirely: the ready-to-drink (RTD) tea category.
Founded in Queens, N.Y. in 2010, Kung Fu Tea is a made-to-order beverage chain with more than 300 locations across the United States and several in Canada, Cambodia, Vietnam and Australia.
The company’s new Green Tea Canned Drink is now available in its 300 stores nationwide, as well as online retailers this week. The brand noted that the step into RTD is a part of Kung Fu Tea’s principles of “innovation and fearlessness.”
Mai Shi, the marketing and PR head for Kung Fu Tea, told World Tea News: “Kung Fu Tea has been providing America with delicious, authentic tea for over a decade, so when we decided to move into the RTD market, green tea was a clear choice for us not only because of how ubiquitous it is both among our loyal customers and in the United States, but because it gives us the chance to show off our freshness.”
Each can of Kung Fu Tea’s canned Green Tea is made with real brewed tea (never powder), no preservatives or added coloring. The company said it hopes to share the “delicious, fresh green tea flavor” to more people who don't have access to their physical stores. Also, to make certain that every drink is fresh, Kung Fu Tea introduced a new technology to the production process of its canned drinks – the use of nitrogen gas (N2). The company also uses fully recyclable aluminum cans to help contribute to environmental protection and conservation efforts.
“The RTD market looks to be growing strong, and we’re excited to be entering the sphere,” explained Shi. “Kung Fu Tea is also looking to expand even further, both into the RTD space and other new avenues, which we look forward to announcing soon. The future for Kung Fu Tea is beyond the sky limits. We are about to re-launch our rewards App for the upcoming National Bubble Tea Day on April 30th. We cannot wait to offer more exciting and innovative rewards to a community of 1.5 million loyal users.”
Thanks to the brand’s strength in the United States, Kung Fu Tea is already considered among the sizable players in the global bubble tea market, which as of 2019 was valued at $2.4 billion with an expected growth to $4.3 billion by 2027 (per Allied Market Research).
Now, with their new RTD product launch, Kung Fu Tea enters another market valued at $29 billion in 2019, with an expected growth to $39 billion by 2027 (per Allied Market Research).
Kung Fu Tea said it’s confident that it can bring something fresh to the RTD space and strengthen both markets in tandem – the RTD market and the bubble tea market.
Michael Wen, CEO and co-founder of Kung Fu Tea, said, “Our Green Tea Canned Drink will be the first of four canned drinks that we plan to bring to market; we look forward to having fans and newcomers of our brand try the first in our new line of ready-to-drink products.”
Kung Fu Tea is an Asian American company founded by immigrants. At the Kung Fu Tea shops, each beverage is freshly handcrafted with authentic, high-quality ingredients. The brand’s founders, baristas and customers are referred to as “Kung Fu Masters” by the company – “passionate, dedicated and fearless in changing the face of the beverage industry.”
On the RTD side, Kung Fu Tea’s new Green Tea cans are also available for purchase online at Amazon.com, and the company is planning to partner with some major delivery platforms.
Visit KungFuTea.com to learn more.
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