What Sharetea does

Sharetea, legally Lian Fa International Dining Business Corporation, is a Taiwan-origin specialty beverage brand founded in 1992 in Taipei by Mr. Cheng Kai-Lung. The company designs, sources, and distributes bubble tea and related beverages through six core product lines — Fresh Brew, Milky Series, Fruity Beverage, Non-Caffeinated, Ice Blended, and New Matcha — complemented by a catalog of toppings such as tapioca pearls, crystal boba, popping boba, creama, and pudding. Operations are delivered through a franchise-led model with over 400 store locations across 12 countries and 4 continents, with ingredients sourced directly from Taiwan and recipe development handled by an internal R&D and quality control team. Underlying technology consists of a Squarespace-hosted website, a December 2025-launched USA mobile app with loyalty and e-gift card functionality, and standard marketing analytics infrastructure rather than proprietary platforms.

Sharetea makes money through a combination of franchise fees and royalties from its 400+ partner-operated stores, direct beverage sales at company-affiliated locations, catering services for events with minimum orders of 20 drinks, and ancillary mobile app-driven revenue from loyalty redemption mechanics. The customer base is split across three named segments: individual consumers (the primary segment), event catering buyers, and franchise partners. Distribution combines franchise retail stores, a direct catering sales motion, a self-serve mobile app, and third-party delivery partnerships where available. The company is privately held under Lian Fa International Dining Business Corporation with no disclosed institutional investors or public listing.

Name

Sharetea

Legal name

Lian Fa International Dining Business Corporation

Website

https://1992sharetea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sharetea is a Taiwan-founded bubble tea franchise operating over 400 stores across 12 countries, serving individual consumers with premium tea beverages, customizable toppings, catering services, and a mobile loyalty app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Bubble Tea / Beverage Retail

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Specialty Food Retailers (4452)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Bubble Tea (Boba) Shops (THAFAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Milk Tea & Flavored Tea Beverage Shops (Non-Boba) (THAFAKAI), Specialty Tea Shops (Loose-Leaf, Tea Bars) (THAFAKAD), Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)

Keywords

• Bubble tea retail
• Milk tea beverages
• Tea shop franchise
• Boba tea chain
• Specialty tea drinks

Headquarters

HQ city

Taipei

HQ country

Taiwan

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Direct beverage sales to consumers at over 400 retail store locations across 12 countries. Stores offer freshly brewed teas, milk teas, fruit drinks, matcha series, and ice blended drinks with customizable toppings.
2. Franchise Fees: Revenue generated from franchise partnerships. Sharetea offers franchise opportunities with comprehensive training and support for operators seeking to establish Sharetea locations.
3. Catering Services: Bubble tea catering services for events with orders over 20 drinks. The company sends inquiries to nearest or requested locations and provides experienced staff for events.
4. Mobile App Loyalty Program: The Sharetea USA Mobile App drives customer engagement through points collection (1 point per $1 spent), reward redemption (12 points = $1 voucher), and exclusive promotions. Birthday month offers 2x points.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sharetea operates a global franchise chain of retail tea shops selling freshly prepared bubble tea and specialty tea beverages under six core drink series (Fresh Brew, Milky, Fruity, Non-Caffeinated, Ice Blended, and Matcha). The offering includes customizable sweetness and ice levels, a range of toppings (pearl, crystal boba, popping boba, pudding, creama, jelly, ice cream), event catering services, franchise opportunities, and a mobile app with a loyalty rewards program. Ingredients are shipped directly from Taiwan to support an authentic Taiwan-style tea experience across 400+ stores.

Product overview

Sharetea is a global bubble tea (boba tea) chain founded in Taiwan in 1992, operating over 400 store locations across 4 continents and 12 countries. The company's product portfolio centers on premium bubble tea beverages, organized into six core drink series: Fresh Brew (classic brewed teas), Milky Series (milk tea combinations), Fruity Beverage Series (fruit-infused teas), Non-Caffeinated Series (caffeine-free options), Ice Blended Series (frozen drinks), and New Matcha Series (premium matcha drinks). The offering is enhanced by a variety of toppings (Pearl, Crystal Boba, Honey Jelly, Lychee Jelly, Pudding, Popping Boba, Creama, Coffee Jelly, Ice Cream) and catering services for events. The company operates a mobile app with loyalty rewards, and offers franchise opportunities for expansion. The brand emphasizes authentic Taiwan-sourced ingredients and high mountain tea in all products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Brew Series Classic, freshly brewed tea made with fine ingredients brewed in-house daily using high-quality tea leaves instead of artificial flavors, targeted at tea consumers seeking authentic Taiwan-style brewed tea.
• Milky Series Milk tea drinks combining smoothness and sweetness with tea, including classic milk tea, Hokkaido Pearl Milk Tea, Thai Tea, Coffee Milk Tea, Okinawa Milk Tea, and Taro Milk Tea, for consumers seeking milk tea beverages.
• Fruity Beverage Series Freshly brewed teas paired with sweet and tart fruit jams including mango, passion fruit, lychee, and berry-based drinks, targeted at consumers preferring fruit-flavored tea beverages.
• Non-Caffeinated Series A range of non-caffeinated drinks in various flavors for kids and late-night cravings, including Tiger Boba and Wintermelon Lemonade, targeted at caffeine-avoiding consumers.
• Ice Blended Series Ice-cold drinks in different flavors blended for a refreshing frozen texture, intended for warm-weather refreshment or anytime consumers want a frozen beverage.
• New Matcha Series Matcha-based drinks with unique twists and tasty blends made with premium matcha, including Matcha Pearl Milk Tea, Mango Matcha Fresh Milk, Strawberry Matcha Fresh Milk, Matcha Fresh Milk, and Matcha Ice Blended, for matcha beverage consumers.
• Sharetea USA Mobile App Mobile application that lets consumers order ahead, earn and redeem loyalty reward points (1 point per $1 spent; 12 points = $1 voucher), send and receive e-gift cards, and participate in exclusive campaigns and giveaways, targeted at Sharetea USA customers.
• Snowberry Matcha Seasonal limited-time bubble tea drink with coconut milk, matcha creama, and strawberry popping boba, available at participating Sharetea locations.
• Coconut Diamond Dream Seasonal bubble tea drink blending coconut milk and fresh cantaloupe with a soft cream cloud topping, available at participating Sharetea locations.
• Bubble Tea Catering Services Catering service that delivers a variety of high-quality bubble teas and drinks with on-site experienced staff for corporate events, birthdays, dinner parties, and celebrations, requiring a minimum order of 20 drinks.
• Sharetea Franchise Program Franchise opportunity offering entrepreneurs the right to operate Sharetea stores with comprehensive training and on-site supervisory support, targeted at prospective franchise owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lead-free boba pearls confirmed through in-house Quality Control team testing

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Facebook AdvertisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSharetea uses Facebook for targeted advertising and marketing communications. Users can opt out of targeted advertising through Facebook settings.
• Bing AdsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSharetea uses Bing for targeted advertising and marketing communications. Users can opt out of personalized ads through Bing settings.
• Lian Fa International Dining Business CorporationcoreOthersParent company that operates the Sharetea brand. The company is mentioned in accessibility and privacy policy documentation as the operating entity for www.1992sharetea.com.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tiger Sugar: Tiger Sugar is the third peer named in the same top-4 bubble tea chain grouping as Sharetea. It is known globally for its signature brown sugar boba and competes directly for the same Gen-Z/millennial bubble tea customer.
• Koi Thé: Koi Thé is a Taiwan-founded bubble tea chain with a global franchise network across Asia, North America, and Australia. Its menu and brand positioning closely mirror Sharetea's, including premium tea sourcing.
• Quickly: Quickly is a Taiwan-origin bubble tea chain with an established U.S. and Asia franchise footprint. It competes with Sharetea on the same authentic Taiwanese milk tea positioning in overlapping markets.
• The Alley: The Alley is a Taiwan-origin premium bubble tea chain that competes with Sharetea on the same authentic-Taiwan-ingredient positioning and targets the same premium Gen-Z consumer with creative toppings and seasonal launches.
• Happy Lemon: Happy Lemon operates a global franchise network of milk teas and tea-based drinks with comparable unit economics and menu structure to Sharetea. Both target younger consumers with customizable toppings and signature cream-cheese-foam drinks.
• Chatime: Chatime is one of the largest global bubble tea franchise systems, with extensive presence across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East — directly comparable to Sharetea's 12-country footprint.
• CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice: CoCo is explicitly named alongside Sharetea as one of the top-4 global bubble tea chains. It runs an extensive franchise network across Asia, North America, and Europe with a broadly overlapping menu of milk teas, fruit teas, and toppings.
• Gong Cha: Gong Cha is one of Sharetea's named top-4 global bubble tea peers (per the EU market share data). It operates a similarly large international franchise network of milk and fresh tea drinks with comparable store economics.

Broad incumbents

• Lollicup (Lollicup Fresh): Lollicup is both a boba supply/wholesale distributor and a retail/fresh-tea operator, giving it broader scale and supply-chain vertical integration that Sharetea lacks. It competes for the same bubble tea consumer while also serving as a potential supplier/peer to Sharetea franchisees.

Emerging players

• Boba Guys: Boba Guys is a U.S.-based premium bubble tea brand with company-operated stores primarily on the West Coast. While smaller and not franchise-based, it competes for the same premium, Instagram-conscious bubble tea consumer as Sharetea.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/shareteausa
• Instagraminstagram.com/sharetea
• TikToktiktok.com/@shareteausa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sharetea