Tastea
Tastea is a privately held boba tea and Asian fusion fast-casual franchise operating 30+ locations across California, Texas, and Arizona, serving customizable made-to-order beverages and snacks to suburban consumer markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersGarden Grove, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Tastea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tastea
- Legal name
- Tastea Holdings LLC
- Website
- https://gotastea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Tastea is a privately held boba tea and Asian fusion fast-casual franchise operating 30+ locations across California, Texas, and Arizona, serving customizable made-to-order beverages and snacks to suburban consumer markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tastea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bubble Tea Quick-Service Retail
- NAICS
- Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bubble Tea (Boba) Shops (THAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Milk Tea & Flavored Tea Beverage Shops (Non-Boba) (THAFAKAI), Matcha Bars (THAFAKAE)
Keywords
Where Tastea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Garden Grove
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices11 records
Markets served
Tastea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Beverage and Food Sales: Primary revenue from selling made-to-order bubble tea drinks and food items (Karate Chicken, Buttload'a Fries, Pizza Rollz, Tofu Bites) through corporate and franchise locations
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: Revenue from franchise operations including franchise fees, ongoing royalties from franchisees, and development fees for new locations. Minimum liquid capital requirement of $400K between applicant and business partners.
- Online Ordering and Delivery: Revenue from online orders placed through website and app, including third-party delivery integration
- Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards with promotional incentives (e.g., $40 gift card purchase includes 20oz drink voucher)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Franchise opportunity with $400K minimum liquid capital requirement |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Gift cards with promotional drink voucher |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Tastea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tastea is a boba/bubble tea and Asian-fusion fast-casual brand that sells made-to-order milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, slushies, energy drinks, and complementary food snacks through corporate-owned and franchised retail locations. It also offers franchise opportunities, catering, fundraising, and a loyalty/online-ordering program.
Product overview
Tastea is a boba tea and Asian fusion fast-casual brand operating 30+ locations across California and Texas. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on handcrafted beverages (milk teas, fruit teas, slushies, energy drinks) and complementary food items (savory snacks, fries, rice bowls). Core offerings include signature drinks like Thai Iced Tea, Tiger Milk Tea, and seasonal series, paired with food items such as Pizza Rollz, Funnel Stix, Karate Chicken, and flavored Buttload'a Fries. The digital ecosystem consists of the Tastea Rewards loyalty program (powered by Incentivio), online ordering platform, and self-service kiosks for streamlined customer experience. Additional services include franchise opportunities, catering, and fundraising programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Milk Tea Core beverage category including Thai Iced Tea, Taro Milk Tea, Classic Milk Tea, Tiger Milk Tea (brown sugar, formosa tea, crème brulee), Peach Blossom Milk Tea, and various seasonal varieties, made to order for individual consumers.
- Simpliciteas Line of simple, refreshing iced teas including Spring Peach Iced Tea (peach jasmine oolong), positioned as light, crisp beverages for warm weather.
- Slushy Freeze Frozen blended beverages including Snow Peach Slushy, Tropical Sunrise (watermelon & mango slushy), Watermelon Heaven, and Chamango.
- Energy Line Energy drinks including Green Mamba (carbonated mango & orange) and Shark Bite, containing approximately 80mg of caffeine per serving.
- Peach Series Seasonal drink series featuring white peaches and jasmine oolong tea, including Spring Peach Iced Tea, Peach Blossom Milk Tea, and Snow Peach Slushy.
- Banana Series Seasonal banana-flavored drink series featuring Banana Matcha and Banana Coffee.
- Coconut Series Seasonal coconut-flavored drink series featuring Coconut Matcha, Coconut Blueberry, and Coconut Coffee.
- Cookies & Cream Series Seasonal drink series featuring Jasmine Oreo Milk Tea, Matcha Oreo Milk Tea, and Thai Oreo Milk Tea.
- Ice Blended Coffee Ice blended coffee drinks including Chillin' Mocha and Caramel Craze.
- Karate Chicken All white meat chicken served at 5 spice levels; a popular food item frequently featured in promotions.
- Buttload'a Fries French fries available in multiple flavors (BBQ, Jalapeño Lime, Sour Cream & Onion) served at 5 spice levels.
- Pizza Rollz Savory snack - crispy fried rolls filled with melty mozzarella, pepperoni, and pizza sauce, designed to pair with milk tea or fruit tea.
- Funnel Stix Sweet snack - golden mochi-style funnel sticks, warm and lightly crispy, topped with powdered sugar.
- Tofu Bites Lightly breaded tofu cubes seasoned with herbs, available exclusively at select locations.
- Jujutsu Rice Bowl Rice bowl dish featured in combo promotions with drinks.
- Tastea Rewards (Loyalty Program) Corporate-run loyalty program supporting online ordering, reward redemption, and customer engagement through the Tastea Rewards app, powered by the Incentivio platform.
- Online Ordering Digital ordering platform accessible via website and mobile app for takeout and pickup orders at participating locations.
- Franchise Program Franchise opportunity with a minimum liquid capital requirement of $400K, including training, bootcamp, and operational guidance for individuals or partners wishing to own and operate a Tastea location.
- Catering Catering services for corporate events, celebrations, and group orders.
- Fundraising Fundraising program for schools and organizations.
- Gift Cards Gift card program redeemable in-store, through the app, or online, with promotional incentives such as a 20oz drink voucher with a $40 gift card purchase.
Quantifiable outcome
- $8,818.52 raised for Runway for Recovery through Pink Ribbon Milk Tea sales
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Tastea
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tastea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature4 records
Tastea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- NeoMeetsminorOngoing collaboration hosting car meet events at Tastea Houston location (11754 Bellaire Blvd #140). Events bring together automotive enthusiasts, local vendors, and boba lovers. Features impressive car lineups, local vendor booths, music, and community atmosphere. Follow @tasteahouston for updates.
- Purple BrandminorFirst-ever collaboration between Tastea Houston and Purple Brand at Houston Galleria location. Featured two limited edition drinks (Ube Milk Tea with purple honey boba, Blue Butterfly with purple boba), live DJ sets, Houston Texans Cheerleaders appearance, and mariachi band. One-day exclusive event celebrating fashion, flavor, and culture.
- Runway for RecoveryminorBreast Cancer Awareness Month collaboration where Tastea donated 20% of proceeds from Pink Ribbon Milk Tea sales. Raised $8,818.52 for the organization supporting breast cancer awareness and recovery programs.
- IncentiviocoreTechnology partner powering Tastea Rewards loyalty program. Platform supports online ordering, reward redemption, points accumulation, and promotional campaigns. Handles customer data including purchase history, points balance, and in-app activity on behalf of Tastea.
- GooglecoreProvides Google Analytics for web traffic tracking, Google Ads for remarketing and advertising, Google Places for location information on store pages, and reCAPTCHA for fraud prevention.
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram)coreAdvertising and remarketing services through Meta's ad platforms including Meta Pixel for tracking website activity. Serves targeted advertisements to customers on Facebook and Instagram platforms.
- TikTokcoreTikTok Ads platform for serving advertisements and retargeting visitors on TikTok. Uses TikTok pixel to collect information about customer activity on the Tastea website.
- ToastcorePoint-of-sale (POS) technology provider for payment processing. Toast POS system handles transactions at Tastea locations.
- PayPalcorePayment processing partner enabling customers to pay for online orders using PayPal. Adheres to PCI-DSS security standards.
- OLOcoreOnline ordering platform integration for food service industry. Facilitates order management and fulfillment.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tastea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Alley: Taiwan-origin premium boba chain with U.S. locations. Competes on the same made-to-order customizable drink platform with signature toppings (similar role to Tastea's Green Boba), targeting overlapping Asian-American and mainstream consumers.
- Share Tea: Taiwanese-origin bubble tea franchise with significant U.S. West Coast presence. Directly competes with Tastea on menu (milk teas, fruit teas, customizable toppings), customer demographic, and franchise-driven growth model.
- Lollicup Fresh: Boba-focused brand backed by parent Lollicup (now known as Fillicious). Comparable franchise-style boba retail model with a similar menu of customizable milk teas, fruit teas, and coffee beverages sold primarily through West Coast locations.
- Kung Fu Tea: One of the largest U.S. bubble tea franchise chains with hundreds of locations nationwide. Directly comparable as a multi-unit boba franchise operator targeting similar Gen-Z and millennial consumers with made-to-order customizable drinks.
- Tiger Sugar: Premium bubble tea brand known for brown sugar boba and Instagram-worthy presentation. Competes with Tastea for the same experiential, customizable, made-to-order boba consumer, particularly in California and major U.S. metros.
- T4 Tea: Taiwanese-origin boba franchise expanding across U.S. markets. Comparable franchise structure, made-to-order customizable menu, and growing West Coast presence that overlaps with Tastea's footprint.
- Half & Half Tea Express: Asian-American bubble tea and Asian fusion franchise with California roots. Directly comparable on product offering (milk teas, fruit teas, Asian snacks), franchise growth model, and target demographic of young, trend-driven consumers.
- Quickly: Established boba franchise with strong California concentration and Asian-American community roots similar to Tastea's. Comparable on product mix (milk teas, smoothies, snacks), price point, and franchise unit economics.
Broad incumbents
- Jamba Juice: National smoothie and beverage franchise chain. Comparable as a broader foodservice beverage brand that originated the 'fun flavor combination' inspiration Tastea's founders cited; however Jamba operates at significantly larger scale and lacks boba specialization.
Regional players
- Boba Time: California-centric bubble tea chain with strong Southern California presence. Closely comparable to Tastea's regional footprint, Asian-American community positioning, and menu mix, though Tastea has expanded further into Texas and Arizona.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tastea social profiles
Digital presenceTastea compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Tastea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tastea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Tastea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tastea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tastea
What does Tastea do?
Tastea is a boba/bubble tea and Asian-fusion fast-casual brand that sells made-to-order milk teas, fruit teas, smoothies, slushies, energy drinks, and complementary food snacks through corporate-owned and franchised retail locations. It also offers franchise opportunities, catering, fundraising, and a loyalty/online-ordering program.
Is Tastea a public or private company?
Tastea is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tastea founded?
Tastea was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Tastea based?
Tastea is headquartered in Garden Grove, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tastea make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Beverage and Food Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees and Royalties, online Ordering and Delivery and gift Cards.
Who are Tastea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Alley, Share Tea, Lollicup Fresh, Kung Fu Tea, Tiger Sugar, T4 Tea, Half & Half Tea Express and Quickly. Jamba Juice is listed as a broad incumbent. Boba Time is listed as a regional player.
Does Tastea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tastea.
What industry is Tastea in?
Tastea's product category is Bubble Tea Quick-Service Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAKAC, Bubble Tea (Boba) Shops, with a secondary code of THAFAKAI, Milk Tea & Flavored Tea Beverage Shops (Non-Boba). Its NAICS code is 722515 and its SIC code is 5810.