Auntea Jenny
 | |
 An Auntea Jenny outlet in Shenzhen, China | |
Native name | 沪上阿姨（上海）实业股份有限公司 |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| SEHK: 2589 | |
| Industry | Drink |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Headquarters | |
Number of locations | over 9,100 stores (2025) |
| Website | www |
Auntea Jenny (Chinese: 沪上阿姨; pinyin: Hù shàng āyí; lit. 'Auntie Shanghai') is a Chinese milk tea chain. As of 2024, the brand had opened over 9000 locations, making it one of the largest tea franchises in the world.[1]
History
Auntea Jenny was founded by husband-and-wife Shan Weijun and Zhou Rongrong in 2013.[1] On July 18, 2013, its first store opened in People's Square of Shanghai, and became successful with monthly profits of over 400,000 yuan.[2]
In the years after its founding, Auntea Jenny expanded rapidly, focusing on lower-tier cities for development. In 2018, there were over one thousand stores nationwide. In 2019, the brand changed its logo to a woman with a bun, wearing a cheongsam and holding a cup of milk tea. By 2020, the total number of stores exceeded 2,000,[3] and by 2023 the number of stores had grown to over 6,000.[4]
In February 2023, an illustration on the packaging of the brand's tea cup sparked debate on Chinese social media. The illustration showed a woman wearing a high-cut cheongsam with her thigh exposed at the slit. Posts on Weibo about the image received more than 290 million views, with some users criticizing the advertisement as overly sexualized, while others defended the image.[5] The Jinshan Market Supervision Bureau reviewed the image and found it did not violate Chinese advertising law.[6]
In February 2024, Auntea Jenny opened its first overseas location opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[7] Later that year, the brand updated their logo to its current iteration, featuring a smiling woman with a bob shaped haircut, colored in orange.
On May 8, 2025, the company went public through an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising HK$273 million (US$35 million). During the same month, Auntea Jenny launched its first American location in Queens, New York. The two founders have an estimated combined net worth of US$1.7 billion.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Li, Diana (7 May 2025). "Bubble Tea Couple's Wealth Hits $1.7 Billion on Hong Kong IPO". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ 腾讯网 (2023-07-24). "坐拥6500门店的"沪上阿姨"公布IPO计划！新茶饮争夺下一个"万店"头衔|消费新势力_腾讯新闻". news.qq.com (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2025-06-12.
- ^ Ziyang, Wang (2020-11-24). "茶饮品牌沪上阿姨完成近亿元A轮融资 — 新京报". www.bjnews.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
- ^ "沪上阿姨：激烈市场竞争中 新式茶饮如何脱颖而出-新华网". www.news.cn. 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
- ^ Feng, Jenny (2023-02-23). "A Chinese debate about sexualization in advertising". The China Project. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "上海市金山区市监局："沪上阿姨"女子穿旗袍图片，不违法". 澎湃新闻. 25 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "沪上阿姨海外首店落地马来西亚；金龙鱼五常大米被曝以次充好_央广网". ent.cnr.cn. Retrieved 2025-06-12.