01｜ From Zhengzhou Streets to Manhattan, NY
In 2025, Mixue Bingcheng's first US store opened on Canal Street in Manhattan, New York, garnering widespread attention. This new 2,100-square-foot store is not just Mixue's debut in the US, but a crucial turning point in its globalization journey.
From a single second-hand ice cream maker in 1997 to 46,000 global stores today, Mixue Bingcheng has become the world's largest fast-food chain by championing "extreme affordability."
In 2023, its global store count surpassed that of McDonald's and Starbucks.
By 2024, it had nearly 5,000 overseas stores.
In 2025, it finally brought its dream of "selling lemonade for $1" to the United States.
02｜ Challenges and Opportunities in the US Market
The burning question for New York consumers: Can lemonade really be sold for $1?
In a market where the average beverage typically costs $6-8, replicating the Chinese model isn't easy for Mixue. Rent, labor, and supply chain costs are all significantly higher than in China.
But the US market also presents new opportunities for Mixue Bingcheng:
Consumer Downtrading Trend: Inflation and rising restaurant prices make high-value-for-money drinks more attractive.
Asian Community Foundation: Chinese and Asian consumer groups can serve as initial seed users.
Gap in Chain Brands: The US freshly-made tea drink market is fragmented, lacking a dominant super-chain brand.
This aligns perfectly with the "Leverage the Trend" strategy mentioned in the Brand Going Global book: identify structural gaps in the target market and target consumer pain points.
03｜ Mixue Bingcheng's Global Playbook
Using the book's "Triple Jump" model (Go Out → Go In → Go Up), Mixue's path is textbook:
Go Out (2018–2020): First store in Vietnam, rapid expansion in Southeast Asia.
Go In (2021–2024): Large-scale deployment in Indonesia, Malaysia; store count in single countries exceeding a thousand.
Go Up (2025): US store opening, entering the core battlefield of global competition.
Simultaneously, Mixue's approach in the US exemplifies the four key strategies emphasized in the book:
Extreme Affordability: Impact the market with low prices.
Localized Supply Chain: Plans to establish an international supply chain platform to reduce reliance on exports.
Channel Penetration: Start in Chinatowns and student circles, then gradually expand.
Cultural Marketing: Develop the "Snow King"形象 into an IP, using simple, direct communication to lower cultural barriers.
04｜ The Key to Success: Sustainability of the $1 Drink
In China, Mixue can offer $0.40 ice cream and $0.80 milk tea thanks to its fully integrated supply chain:
Self-built 130,000 sqm factories
Own syrups, tea bases, dairy sources
Self-production of straws, paper cups, even ice cream machines
This vertical integration model ensures low costs and economies of scale.
However, in the US, the main challenges are:
Difficulty Localizing Supply Chain: High costs for raw materials and logistics.
Labor Cost Gap: US service industry hourly wages are multiples of those in China.
Brand Recognition: How to make American youth willing to accept an "unfamiliar Chinese brand."
This represents the so-called "Localization Trap" and "Supply Chain Adaptation Problem." Mixue must find a balance between standardization and localization.
05｜ Lessons for Other Chinese Brands
Mixue Bingcheng's New York debut is not just a milestone for the beverage industry but offers insights for all globalizing brands:
From Community Breakthrough to Mainstream Penetration: Just as Synear Foods entered the North American market via 99 Ranch, H Mart, and Weee, Mixue will first capture the Chinese community before moving mainstream.
Use Extreme Affordability to Open Markets: In a consumer downtrading environment, budget brands have an easier entry than premium ones.
Full Supply Chain is a Cost Weapon: Only by mastering the supply chain can price advantages be maintained in cross-border markets.
Cultural Translation is More Important Than the Product: The global packaging of the Snow King image is equivalent to a cultural reinvention.
Conclusion
The New York flagship is just the beginning.
If Mixue Bingcheng can prove its model works in the US, it could become not just a "Chinese alternative to Starbucks," but potentially the "leading affordable beverage brand" in the global wave of consumer downtrading.
As a branding globalisation expert once stated:
"The ultimate goal of going global is not to sell Chinese products overseas, but to make the brand a part of global consumers' lives."
Can Mixue Bingcheng make the "Tian Mi Mi" melody resonate across the US? The answer remains to be seen.
