Mixue Bingcheng (蜜雪冰城) tests fresh‑brewed coffee — what is Xuewang's (雪王) push into fresh‑brewed coffee aiming for?

Pilot and product upgrade

It has been reported that Mixue Bingcheng (蜜雪冰城), often dubbed Xuewang (雪王) in industry chatter, is piloting fresh‑brewed coffee in a small selection of stores, with initial tests reportedly centred on Zhengzhou. The move goes beyond swapping in machines: the company plans product upgrades across beans, milk and recipes and has started listing “fully automatic coffee machines” in some merchant back‑ends — though rollout timing remains undecided and on‑the‑ground reports say machines have arrived in some shops but are not yet in use.

Strategic rationale

Why the push now? Mixue has long sold low‑cost drip coffee and launched a dedicated coffee sub‑brand, Lucky Coffee (幸运咖), in 2017, but Lucky’s standalone growth left gaps versus market leaders. By embedding fresh‑brewed coffee into the mother brand’s stores Mixue aims to fix Lucky Coffee’s scale problem quickly, capture higher‑quality coffee demand and lift average tickets — all while keeping the group’s signature value positioning.

Scale, competition and market impact

Scale matters. Mixue’s sprawling network — reportedly over 53,000 outlets — gives it a rapid distribution advantage over rivals such as Luckin Coffee (瑞幸) and smaller chains. If fresh‑brew is rolled out across that footprint, Mixue could reshape competitive dynamics in China’s fast‑growing coffee market, hitting both premium chains and independent cafés where convenience and price meet daily habit. Can a tea titan convert its mass audience into daily coffee drinkers? That is the bet.

Bigger trend and geopolitical context

This test is part of a broader blurring between tea and coffee in China’s beverage sector: multi‑category “drink spaces” are becoming the norm as consumer tastes homogenise and lower‑tier cities adopt coffee culture. The shift dovetails with China’s domestic consumption push amid global supply tensions — companies are prioritising resilient, local scale and supply‑chain integration over reliance on foreign premium positioning. Reportedly, Mixue is aiming not just for a product upgrade, but for a structural foothold in the daily ritual of Chinese consumers.