What Nowwa Coffee does

NOWWA Coffee (挪瓦咖啡) is a Chinese coffee chain brand founded in June 2019 with its first store in Shanghai. It operates 10,000+ stores across 300+ cities, including Macau, with international presence in Southeast Asia, Australia, and Canada, and ranks among the top five global coffee chains by store count while being the fourth domestic Chinese coffee brand to reach the 10,000-store threshold. The company's product portfolio centers on health-positioned coffee and tea beverages, including a 0-fat latte with 40% reduced calories built on North Latitude 38° milk and IIAC gold-award beans, a coconut latte, a supermodel half-baked cheese latte (43% reduced calories), single-origin espresso (SOE) Americanos with Huakui profile, a "Ton Ton" large-format line featuring electrolyte coconut water and kale light coffee, light milk teas, and fruit/lemon teas. Marketing is multi-channel across WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, anchored by a global spokesperson deal with Yang Yang (杨洋) and sports sponsorships including UTMB Mogan Mountain 2026 and TUGU trail-running events.

NOWWA's business model is built on a franchise-based "store-in-store" joint operation with convenience-store chains rather than standalone coffee shops, an approach credited with enabling rapid mass-market expansion while avoiding the full real-estate and labor burden of independent stores. Revenue is generated from franchise operations, direct retail sales at company-owned and joint-operated stores, and brand licensing for international markets. The customer base is bifurcated: end consumers are young urban Chinese seeking health-conscious, grab-and-go coffee, while the B2B side consists of convenience-store partners integrating NOWWA counters to capture higher-margin beverage traffic. Pricing is pay-as-you-go with regular menu pricing supplemented by aggressive promotional campaigns (0.01 yuan vouchers, free-drink giveaways) for customer acquisition. International expansion proceeds through local strategic operators, exemplified by the Reveillon Champ agreement to develop Malaysia as a platform for broader Southeast Asia growth.

On the capital side, NOWWA has raised venture funding across multiple rounds, most recently a Series C of several hundred million RMB in January 2026 (reported as the largest financing in China's catering industry over the prior year), following a $42.2M Series B in September 2024 and a $31.4M Series A led by SIG China in December 2021. The company is privately held, headquartered in Shanghai's Changning District, and operates with a lean central team (11–50 employees) consistent with an asset-light franchisor model that pushes execution to its store and partner network.

Name

Nowwa Coffee

Legal name

NOWWA

Website

https://nowwa.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NOWWA Coffee (挪瓦咖啡) is a Chinese coffee chain founded in 2019, operating 10,000+ stores globally via a franchise store-in-store model inside convenience stores, offering health-focused coffee and tea beverages to young urban consumers across 300+ cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Chain

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drive-Thru Coffee Stands & Coffee Kiosks (THAFADAK), Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Coffee (CRADAHAF), Espresso Bars & Coffee Bars (THAFADAD)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee retail
• Coffee chain franchise
• Ready-to-drink coffee
• Health-focused beverages
• Convenience store coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Changning

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Franchise Store Operations: Revenue generated from franchise fees and store sales through the store-in-store joint operation model with convenience stores. The company operates as a franchisor providing brand, products, and operational support to convenience store partners.
2. Direct Retail Sales: Sales revenue from company-owned or joint-operated stores selling coffee and beverage products to end consumers
3. Brand Licensing: Revenue from brand licensing arrangements as the company expands internationally through strategic partnerships

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Nowwa Coffee is a specialty coffee chain that sells freshly ground coffee, tea, and health-focused beverages — including zero-fat lattes, coconut lattes, single-origin espressos (SOE), milk teas, and fruit teas — through company-owned stores and a franchise-based "store-in-store" model embedded inside convenience stores across 300+ cities in China and selected international markets. The portfolio emphasizes low-calorie, zero-fat, and reduced-sugar formulations targeting young urban consumers seeking healthier coffee options.

Product overview

NOWWA Coffee operates as a single unified coffee and tea beverage brand offering a comprehensive product portfolio centered around health-conscious coffee options. The product line includes zero-fat lattes, coconut lattes, low-calorie specialty drinks, single-origin espressos (SOE), light milk teas, and fruit/lemon teas. The company employs a 'store-in-store' franchise model through partnerships with convenience stores, operating over 10,000 stores globally across 300+ cities in China (including Macau), Southeast Asia, and Australia. NOWWA Coffee completed Series C financing in 2026, marking the largest funding in China's food and beverage sector in the past year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 0-Fat Latte (0脂拿铁) A zero-fat latte made with golden milk source from 38° north latitude and IIAC gold award coffee beans, featuring 40% reduced calories for health-conscious consumers.
• Coconut Latte (生椰拿铁) A refreshing coconut latte made with fresh low-calorie coconut milk that is fat-free, offering a lighter taste profile.
• Super Model Half-Baked Cheese Latte (超模半熟芝士拿铁) A zero-sugar, low-fat latte designed for weight management with 43% reduced calories.
• Huakui SOE Americano (花魁SOE美式) A single-origin espresso Americano featuring exclusive fruity floral notes and low-calorie formulation.
• Bucket Electrolyte Blue Coconut Water (吨吨桶电解质蓝椰水) A new summer product featuring Thai coconut water with electrolytes, marketed as a visually appealing large-format beverage.
• Bucket Kale Light Coffee (吨吨桶羽衣甘蓝轻咖) A larger serving energy drink containing kale and raw coffee extract with superfruits for health benefits.
• Bucket Orange C Americano (吨吨一桶橙C美式) A zero-fat Americano made with Gannan navel oranges, offering low-calorie, zero-sugar, low-fat flavoring in a large-format serving.
• Bucket Grapefruit C Americano (吨吨一桶柚C美式) A zero-fat Americano that ranks as the top repeat-purchase flavor option in the Bucket Series.
• Light Milk Tea and Milk Tea (轻乳茶/牛乳茶) Light milk tea and regular milk tea beverages in the Nowwa Coffee product portfolio.
• Fruit Tea and Lemon Tea (果茶/柠檬茶) Fruit tea and lemon tea beverage offerings in the Nowwa Coffee product portfolio.
• SOE Single Origin Espresso Series (SOE系列) Single origin espresso products featuring premium coffee beans from specific origins, positioned as a premium offering within the Nowwa Coffee lineup.
• Self-Discipline Americano (自律美式) Low-calorie Americano product line positioned as part of the Self-Discipline (自律) healthy beverage category.
• Healthy Fruit and Vegetable Coffee (健康果蔬咖啡) Healthy fruit and vegetable coffee beverages combining raw coffee extract with superfruits and vegetables for health benefits.
• Store-in-Store Coffee Franchise (便利店店中店加盟) A franchise program that places NOWWA-branded coffee counters inside convenience stores, enabling the partner to add a coffee category without standalone real estate. NOWWA provides brand, product supply, and operational support while the convenience store partner provides the storefront and traffic.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ stores globally within 6+ years
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Canadian Strategic PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Strategic partnership with Canadian partners for international expansion, announced alongside Malaysian partnership in May 2026.
• Malaysian Strategic PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Strategic partnership with Malaysian partners for market development, announced alongside Canadian partnership in May 2026.
• Yang Yang (杨洋)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 May 2026Global brand spokesperson endorsement announced April 2026, with promotional campaign offering 1 million 0.01 yuan drink vouchers to drive customer acquisition.
• TUGU (柴古唐斯)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 May 2026Partnership with TUGU mountain running events, bringing TOP events and five major benefits to consumers through sports marketing.
• UTMB Mogan MountainminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 May 2026Sponsorship of UTMB Mogan Mountain 2026 world-class trail running event, reinforcing sports lifestyle brand positioning.
• Meng Guangfu (蒙光富)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 May 2026Partnership with Asia's top trail runner and men's athlete Meng Guangfu for sports lifestyle brand positioning.
• Reveillon Group (VCI Global subsidiary)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Reveillon Champ, a subsidiary of Reveillon Group's portfolio company, entered strategic cooperation with NOWWA Global HK to develop the Malaysian market. The agreement is structured to serve as a platform for potential broader expansion across Southeast Asia. Dato' Victor Hoo highlighted the strategic fit of combining lifestyle positioning with AI-driven operational intelligence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cotti Coffee: Direct Chinese coffee chain peer that grew rapidly to thousands of stores using a similar low-price, convenience-store-anchored model; competes head-to-head with Nowwa in tier 2-4 cities and on price-led customer acquisition.
• Luckin Coffee: China's largest coffee chain (20,000+ stores), direct competitor in the value-tier coffee space with similar convenience-store pickup model, digital-first ordering, and aggressive promotional pricing that defines the competitive set Nowwa operates in.
• Tims China (TH International): Master franchisee of Tim Hortons in China operating coffee chain stores at premium price points; directly comparable specialty-coffee-chain competitor in the same Chinese market with similar young-consumer targeting.
• Manner Coffee: Shanghai-origin specialty coffee chain competing with Nowwa for the same young urban Chinese consumer, with a more café-store format and premium positioning; a direct benchmark for Nowwa's specialty/SOE positioning.

Regional players

• Pacific Coffee: Hong Kong-origin coffee chain with mainland China and select Southeast Asia presence; comparable mid-tier coffee chain competitor with similar café-store format and a foothold in Chinese-speaking markets relevant to Nowwa's expansion.

Emerging players

• M Stand: Chinese specialty coffee chain expanding rapidly in tier 1 cities with a design-forward, single-origin-focused menu; directly comparable to Nowwa on the specialty, young-urban-consumer positioning in mainland China.
• % Arabica: Japan-origin specialty coffee chain with selective global presence including mainland China and Southeast Asia; comparable to Nowwa on the single-origin, design-led, lifestyle positioning that Nowwa pursues with its SOE line.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks China: Dominant global coffee incumbent with thousands of stores in China; not a price-tier competitor but defines brand expectations, supply chain scale, and the third-wave coffee experience Nowwa's SOE and specialty lines are measured against.
• Costa Coffee (China): UK-origin mainstream coffee chain with hundreds of stores in China; comparable established coffee-chain competitor at the broader middle-market tier where Nowwa's specialty lines overlap.
• Peet's Coffee China: US-origin specialty coffee brand with a growing mainland China footprint via joint venture with Tencent/Jingdagushi; comparable specialty coffee chain competitor relevant to Nowwa's SOE and premium single-origin positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nowwa Coffee