# Chagee

CHAGEE is a Chinese milk tea chain. It was founded in Yunnan in 2017 by Zhang Junjie. Its Chinese name (霸王茶姬; Bà Wáng chájī) is based on the traditional Chinese opera Farewell My Concubine (pinyin: Bà Wáng Bié Jī), with the logo based on a huadan opera actor.
Its signature product is bubble tea made with fresh milk added to whole-leaf tea, named after ancient Chinese poems. Drinks are generally priced at RMB 20, around USD 2.75. The chain has been described as aiming to be the 'Oriental Starbucks', while previously resembling the style and products of Changsha-based milk tea chain Chayan Yuese. Its bags have also been compared to Dior packaging. The company operates based on a franchising-model.

## History

Founder Zhang Junjie never attended higher education, but worked as a bubble tea store apprentice during his youth. He later gained experience in corporate governance while working at a Shanghai-based startup. After witnessing the opening of a Hey Tea store, in 2017 he started Chagee in Kunming. In 2021 the headquarters moved to Chengdu. In 2019 the company opened its first store in Malaysia as well as in Singapore. In 2022 its first store in Thailand opened. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Chagee operated a pop-up store in Paris. As of 2024, the majority of its 100 overseas stores are located in Malaysia.
Media outlets estimated the revenue to be RMB 500 million in 2022. In 2023 the company opened 2,317 new outlets, reaching RMB 10.8 billion in revenue. By 2024 there were over 4,000 Chagee stores worldwide.

## Controversies
### Malaysia 'Tear & Win' rigging controversy

On November 2024, Chagee held a 'Tear & Win' lottery as part of 7th anniversary commemoration of the brand's presence in Malaysia. A Malaysian X user, naquib uploaded a viral video of Chagee staff member at an undisclosed Chagee outlet “checking” the special cups to identify what’s printed on the small paper tabs inside. The activity has caused suspicion among internet users about the lottery rigging. After the video went viral Chagee Malaysia decided to take legal action against naquib for defamation and demand him to remove the video immediately to protect staff's privacy.
After causing uproar among Malaysians, Chagee would later issue an apology and stated the behaviour does not reflect the company standard. In order to prevent such incident from happening again, Chagee has switched the gift system from giving up physical items directly into QR code slips.

### Nine-dash line controversies

As Chagee was scheduled to open its first Vietnamese outlet, it was caught in a controversy surrounding the depiction of the controversial Nine-dash line in its mobile application. The map has caused uproar among Vietnamese internet users with many has called for boycott against the chain. After the map image went viral, the outlet that was set to open in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City removed the brand signage and replaced it with black background with a Vietnamese flag seen waving in front of a small door.
Aside from Vietnam, the brand depiction of the map has also caused ire in Malaysia. Malaysian internet users has also calling for a boycott against the brand. A Facebook page "Malaysian-souled Chinese" is the one who are leading the charge against the move citing the company has insulted Malaysian sovereignty over the region.

## Caffeine content

Some black tea-based drinks sold by Chagee were found to have high polyphenol and caffeine contents of up to 150 mg of caffeine per 470 mL serving, which is within safe consumption limits, but may cause distress for some consumers.