大益茶集团

What 大益茶集团 does

TAETEA Group (大益茶集团) is a privately held, vertically integrated Chinese tea enterprise headquartered in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. Its core operating subsidiary, Menghai Tea Industry Co., Ltd. (formerly Fohai Experimental Tea Factory, founded 1940), runs what the company describes as the world's largest single tea factory, spanning more than 700 mu (~467,000 sqm) and housing the Dayi Fermentation Pool that has been continuously fermenting since 1973. The group's product portfolio is anchored in Puer tea — traditional raw and ripe tea cakes (including benchmark formulas 7542 and 7572 established in 1975), an annual zodiac collectible series, a fast-consumption tea line, and a health-oriented sub-brand called ELITEA/Yiyuansu (益元素) built on third-generation microbial smart fermentation technology (微生物智能制茶工艺) developed after more than a decade of R&D and rolled out in 2016. The company holds 175–177 valid patents, 1,151 trademarks (809 domestic, 342 international), and was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2022.

TAETEA generates revenue through a multi-channel model: a franchise network of 2,100+ branded stores across mainland China, third-party e-commerce flagships on Tmall, JD.com and Douyin, its proprietary yestae.com platform, the experiential TAETEA Puer & Cafe (大益茶庭) sub-brand, and a four-segment offering covering tea, water, vessels, and Dao (tea culture services). Customer segments span tea enthusiasts and collectors, premium gifting and corporate buyers, the health/wellness market (via Yiyuansu), institutional/event buyers (TAETEA was the designated tea supplier for COP15 and Dubai Expo 2020), and upstream tea-farmer communities (nearly 300,000 farmers lifted out of poverty through procurement). Pricing ranges from mass-market fast-consumption SKUs to premium collectible cakes such as 大益传奇1975, positioned for value appreciation. Tax contributions exceed 400 million RMB per year, and cumulative tax from 2005–2020 totaled roughly 2.5 billion RMB.

The group is currently led by Chairman and President Zhang Yafeng (张亚峰), who assumed the role in 2022 following the death of founder Wu Yuanzhi. It is constructing a 1.02 billion RMB Menghai Tea Factory New Zone (228.78 acres, 4–5 year build-out) and is pursuing a 2025 global brand-upgrade strategy under which it was listed in the China Brand International Benchmark Top 100 and ranked #1 on the Hurun China Tea Industry Model Enterprise List. Recent strategic activity includes the launch of the high-end 大益传奇1975 product line, a strategic consulting engagement with Ries, and certification from CIC Consulting as the top-selling premium Puer tea brand for ten consecutive years.

Name

大益茶集团

Legal name

云南大益茶业集团有限公司

Website

https://dayitea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

TAETEA Group is a privately held, vertically integrated Chinese Puer tea enterprise founded in 1940, producing traditional raw and ripe tea cakes plus a microbial-fermentation health line (Yiyuansu) at its Menghai, Yunnan facility and distributing through 2,100+ franchise stores and major e-commerce platforms across China and parts of East/Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pu-erh Tea (Traditional Chinese Tea)

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG), Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea (CRADAHAD), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Pu-erh tea products
• Tea manufacturing
• Tea retail franchise
• Fermented tea processing
• Traditional chinese tea

Headquarters

HQ city

Menghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Traditional Puer Tea Products: Core revenue from Puer tea products including raw and ripe tea cakes (7542, 7572, and others), vintage teas, zodiac-themed teas (生肖茶), and Peacock (孔雀) series. Products are sold through franchise stores, e-commerce, and B2B channels. TAETEA holds classic product formulas (7542, 7572 established in 1975) as industry benchmarks.
2. Fast-Consumer Tea Products (快消茶): Convenience tea products including tea bags and ready-to-drink tea beverages. These are positioned as everyday consumer goods for mass market distribution.
3. 益原素 (Yiyuansu) Health Tea Products: Next-generation health tea products developed using third-generation microbial fermentation, including tea crystals and functional beverages. These products target the health and wellness market segment with claims around blood sugar regulation, uric acid reduction, and digestive health benefits.
4. Tea Wares & Tea Sets (茶器茶具): Sale of tea brewing equipment and tea accessories through dedicated channels, part of the 'tea, water, vessel, Dao' four-business-segment strategy.
5. Tea Culture Services & Tea Ceremony (茶道文化): Revenue from tea culture education, tea ceremony training, and tea tourism experiences through the TAETEA Tea House (大益茶庭) outlets, promoting tea lifestyle and culture as part of the 'Dao' (道) business segment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

TAETEA Group manufactures and sells traditional Puer tea cakes (raw and ripe, including benchmark blends 7542 and 7572), fast-consumer tea products, and a proprietary health-focused Yiyuansu (益元素) line developed using third-generation microbial fermentation technology. The company also produces zodiac commemorative teas, premium vintage collectible teas, and tea ware, distributing through 2,100+ franchise stores, major Chinese e-commerce platforms, and international markets.

Product overview

大益茶集团 (TAETEA Group) operates as a comprehensive modern tea enterprise with a full-industry chain covering research, planting, production, marketing, and tea culture. The product portfolio centers on Pu'er tea with core offerings including traditional Pu'er tea cakes (7542, 7572, zodiac series, Peacock series), fast-consumption tea products, and the innovative 益原素 (Yiyuansu) health-focused line developed with proprietary third-generation microbial fermentation technology. Supporting products include tea ware (益工坊), tea accessories, and tea-based beverages. The ecosystem includes the tea ceremony institution (大益茶道院), TAETEA Museum cultural venue, e-commerce platforms (Tmall, JD.com, Douyin, proprietary Yitae mall), and over 2,000 franchise stores nationwide. The company also operates the 大益爱心基金会 for social responsibility initiatives. The group positions itself at the intersection of traditional tea culture and modern health science, with strong emphasis on technology-driven fermentation innovation and cultural heritage preservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ELITEA (益元素): Health-oriented product sub-brand developed using microbial fermentation technology. Includes the Yiyuansu (益原素) product line such as A Formula, B Formula, U Formula, and flavored tea crystals, positioned as next-generation health-focused tea products for convenient consumption.
• TAETEA Puer & Cafe (大益茶亭)

Products and services

• Traditional Puer Tea (大益传统普洱茶)

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 300,000 tea farmers lifted out of poverty through tea purchasing programs spanning nearly 20 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• 里斯战略咨询 (里斯战略咨询全球CEO张云)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dayi partnered with Ries & Thinking (a global strategic consulting firm) to formulate brand strategy and growth path.里斯 CEO Zhang Yun delivered a keynote at the Dayi 'Legend 1975' launch event, providing strategic analysis for Dayi's premium Puer tea leadership positioning and expansion of tea consumption scenarios.
• CIC灼识咨询 (CIC Consulting)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CIC灼识 conducted comprehensive data analysis and reporting to confirm Dayi's leading position in the premium Puer tea market and awarded Dayi the certification medal for 'Top Sales of Premium Puer Tea for 10 Consecutive Years'.
• 深商总会 (Shenzhen Commercial Association)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Dayi Group and the Shenzhen Commercial Association reached a strategic cooperation to jointly host the Global Shenzhen Commerce Conference, build a 'tea culture social' platform, conduct tea cultural exchange activities, and collaborate in industrial assistance, investment promotion, and public welfare.
• Guangdong Winnerway Basketball ClubmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Guangdong Winnerway Basketball Club (branded as 'Guangdong Dongguan 大益' in CBA league) represents a sports marketing partnership combining tea culture with basketball culture. Players have appeared at Dayi booths at tea expos and promoted tea culture events.
• 云南省青少年发展基金会 (Yunnan Provincial Youth Development Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Dayi Love Foundation partnered with Yunnan Provincial Youth Development Foundation (a 5A-rated public fundraising foundation) to jointly establish the 'Dayi Rural Revitalization Love Fund' in June 2022, focusing on improving tea farmers' living environments and life quality in Puer tea production areas.
• COP15 (UN Convention on Biological Diversity)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020In 2020, TAETEA became a partner of COP15 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. ELITEA and classic ripe and raw puer tea bags were used as the officially designated teas for the conference. This partnership positioned Dayi as a globally recognized Chinese tea brand at a premier international environmental conference.
• Dubai Expo 2020 China Cultural Center Tea CommitteecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020TAETEA cooperated with the ad hoc tea culture (tea industry) committee of China Cultural Center for Expo 2020 Dubai to communicate and exchange Chinese tea culture with the world. Dayi served as a platform for cultural diplomacy at this major international expo.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Chagee (霸王茶姬): New-age Chinese tea beverage brand that went public on NASDAQ in 2025. Comparable to TAETEA on brand-led premium tea positioning and rapid scaling, but competes in the modern milk tea/RTD tea segment rather than traditional Puer cakes — represents the consumer shift TAETEA is responding to with Yiyuansu.
• Hey Tea (喜茶): Leading modern tea beverage brand in China (founded 2012). Adjacent rather than directly competitive — represents the younger-consumer tea format that threatens traditional Puer consumption patterns; useful as a comp for the consumer trend TAETEA's RTD and Yiyuansu lines target.

Regional players

• Ito En (伊藤园): Japan's largest tea company, listed on TSE, with deep expertise in green tea and RTD tea formats. Comparable to TAETEA as a vertically integrated tea manufacturer pursuing functional/health-positioned tea drinks and international expansion; differs on geography (Japan vs. China) and primary tea type.
• Wuyistar (武夷星): Major Chinese Wuyi rock tea and oolong producer. Comparable to TAETEA on the heritage-brand manufacturing model and multi-channel distribution, but operates in a different tea category (Wuyi oolong vs. Yunnan Puer) and a different region.

Direct peers

• Eight Horses Tea (八马茶业): Major Chinese tea brand with an extensive national franchise retail network focused on Wuyi rock tea and premium oolong. Comparable to TAETEA on the multi-channel franchise + e-commerce distribution model and premium positioning; differs in geographic origin and primary tea category.
• Haiwan Tea (海湾茶业): Yunnan-based Puer tea producer operating in similar Menghai-region supply chains. Direct competitor in the ripe/raw Puer category with overlapping tea mountain sourcing and benchmark product formulas.
• China Tea Co., Ltd. (中茶公司): China's other major heritage tea brand, founded 1949 and state-owned. Comparable to TAETEA as a multi-category tea manufacturer with national brand recognition, similar institutional/government distribution channels, and competing in Puer, green, and black tea categories.
• Yunnan Xiaguan Tea Factory (下关沱茶): Historic Yunnan-based Puer tea producer (also state-owned-origin). Competes head-on with TAETEA in the Puer tea category with its own benchmark product lines and similar aged-reserve inventory, making it the closest direct competitor in traditional ripe/raw Puer.
• Tenfu's Tea (天福集团): Hong Kong-listed Chinese tea retailer/manufacturer with one of the largest chain-store networks in China. Directly comparable to TAETEA on the franchise-led retail model, tea ware bundling, and tea culture experience stores; differs on being more retail-led and listed (vs. TAETEA's manufacturer-led, private structure).

Broad incumbents

• Twinings (Associated British Foods): Globally recognized traditional tea brand with centuries of heritage. Comparable to TAETEA on brand-heritage-led premium tea positioning and international distribution; differs as a mass-market black tea brand owned by a global conglomerate (vs. TAETEA's category leadership in Puer).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E5%A4%A7%E7%9B%8A%E8%8C%B6%E9%9B%86%E5%9B%A2

Compliance16 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 大益茶集团