The Rise of Mixue: How a Chinese Ice Cream Chain Took Over Social Media
In just a few short years, Mixue Ice Cream and Tea has rapidly grown from a single shop in central China to a hugely popular franchise with over 10,000 locations across China and abroad. This minimalist ice cream and tea chain, also known as MXBC, has not only won over countless customers with its fresh, affordable treats – it has also become an unlikely viral sensation, sparking countless memes and even inspiring fan-made theme songs. How did a humble ice cream shop rise to such staggering success and social media stardom? Let‘s take a closer look at the story behind Mixue‘s meteoric rise.
From Shaved Ice to Ice Cream Empire: Mixue‘s Humble Beginnings
The first Mixue store was opened in 2007 by Zhang Hongchao, a then 27-year-old college graduate, in the city of Zhengzhou in China‘s Henan province. Zhang‘s original vision was to offer high-quality but affordable ice cream treats to students and young people, sensing a gap in the market. The first Mixue shops had a fairly broad menu, selling not just ice cream but also shaved ice, fried snacks, and other fast foods.
However, Zhang soon zeroed in on ice cream and tea as Mixue‘s core focus. By investing in their own dairy farms, production facilities, and supply chain, Mixue was able to keep costs down while maintaining the freshness and quality of their limited menu of colorful ice cream flavors and creative tea drinks. This winning combination of fresh, Instagram-worthy treats at student-friendly prices would prove to be the key to Mixue‘s rapid growth and success.
A Minimalist Rebrand and Franchise Boom
Around 2014-2015, Mixue began rebranding their stores, adopting their now-signature minimalist black and white decor. The chain also shifted to a franchise model, making it easy and affordable for entrepreneurs to open their own Mixue shops. Franchise fees are low, starting around 370,000 yuan (about $52,000), with no extra promotion, design, or logistics fees. Mixue‘s parent company provides strong support in everything from supply chain to staff training.
This franchise-friendly business model spurred exponential growth, with the number of Mixue locations doubling each year since 2016. As of 2022, there were already over 10,000 Mixue stores across China, with more than 1,000 shops overseas in the US, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and Malaysia. Remarkably, Mixue opened its first 10,000 stores in just 15 years, faster than McDonald‘s or KFC. Mixue now aims to expand to 60,000 stores worldwide by 2030.
Mixue‘s Viral Social Media Stardom
As Mixue shops popped up on seemingly every street corner in China and then abroad, the ice cream chain began catching the attention of social media. People began joking that Mixue was "taking over the world" with its rapid expansion. Many compared Mixue‘s seeming ubiquity to 7-Eleven or McDonald‘s.
In 2019, Mixue went viral when a 15-year-old boy from Sichuan, China posted a quirky theme song titled "The Ice Cream and Tea You Love" set to an upbeat cartoon jingle. He filmed a video of himself performing the song in front of a Mixue store, and it quickly racked up millions of views and started trending on Chinese social media platforms.
On China‘s Weibo platform, some of the top hashtags in 2021 related to debates over Mixue‘s ice cream flavors and discussions about the brand. In that year, Mixue-related topics got 4.7 billion views and posts on Weibo. The brand continued to surge in popularity on global social media in 2022-2023, with many humorous tweets and TikTok memes about how the chain seems to "be on every corner" around the world.
The brand‘s distinctive black-and-white visuals and iconic polar bear mascot have proven to be perfect meme fodder. Fan artists have reinterpreted the polar bear mascot in various cute anime styles that have gone viral. On Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram, countless users have posted photos and jokes whenever they spot a new Mixue store, marveling at the chain‘s omnipresence.
While Mixue maintains an official presence on social media, much of the viral content has been organic, spread by enthusiastic fans and amused observers. Mixue‘s strong branding, appealing and affordable products, and rapid global spread have made it a hot conversation topic, even among those who haven‘t yet tried their ice cream.
Why Mixue Matters: Lessons from a Viral Ice Cream Success
Mixue‘s wild success offers some key lessons for the food and beverage industry. First, Mixue demonstrates the huge power of Chinese consumer brands in the global marketplace. While past decades were dominated by the spread of American chains like McDonald‘s and KFC, Mixue exemplifies how Chinese brands are now expanding rapidly around the world, winning over consumers with a digitally-savvy, youth-focused approach.
Secondly, Mixue shows the potential of a focused menu and strong brand identity. By zeroing in on fresh ice cream and tea drinks and cultivating a minimalist aesthetic, Mixue developed a clear brand that is easily recognized and remembered. The chain‘s distinctive look has proven to be perfect for the social media age, ideal for eye-catching photos and viral memes.
Finally, Mixue‘s franchise model and unique supply chain system powered its rapid growth while allowing the company to maintain quality and freshness. By making it easy and affordable to start new locations while maintaining centralized production, Mixue has achieved remarkable speed and scale.
The Future of Mixue
With plans to expand to 60,000 locations by 2030, Mixue shows no signs of slowing its global takeover. Industry watchers believe they are on track to surpass McDonald‘s and Subway as the world‘s largest restaurant chain in the coming years.
Mixue continues to innovate with new seasonal flavors and product offerings to keep customers interested and social media buzzing. A "2.0" store model is also rolling out, featuring even sleeker decor and high-tech touches like AI-powered ordering kiosks, potentially helping stores cut labor costs.
Mixue‘s rapid rise from a single shop to a global phenomenon may seem unbelievable, but it‘s a case study in the power of a focused, affordable menu, distinctivevisual identity, and franchise-friendly business model. As more Chinese consumer brands expand abroad in the coming years, we‘re likely to see more Mixue-like success stories shaking up the global F&B scene. But for now, Mixue is the undisputed ice cream brand that conquered social media, one adorable black-and-white ice cream cup at a time.
