La Kaffa International Co (六角國際), which operates restaurant and beverage store chains at home and abroad, yesterday inked an agreement with Palau’s Surangel & Sons Co to open two bubble milk tea outlets in the island nation this year as part of its effort to expand its global footprint.
La Kaffa chairman Henry Wang (王耀輝) signed the deal with Surangel N. Whipps, founder of Surangel & Sons, Palau’s largest provider of goods and services, whose business interests encompass housing design, automotive repair, equipment rentals, groceries, wholesale and retail sales.
“La Kaffa has introduced its bubble milk tea brand Chatime (日出茶太) to tropical island nations where demand has proven strong,” Wang told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
The new outlets in Palau might open in August, delayed from last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said.
Chatime has a presence in Fiji, Guam, Indonesia, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Philippines and other tourist destinations.
The latest additions might benefit from a “travel bubble” between Taiwan and Palau, Wang said, adding that Taiwanese make up 12 percent of tourist arrivals to Palau every year.
Surangel N. Whipps, father of visiting Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, expressed the hope that Chatime would grow into a formidable competitor to US coffeehouse chain Starbucks Corp.
James Huang (黃世芳), chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, which helped broker the franchise agreement, said bubble milk tea has a bigger market than coffee, because it is popular among people from different income levels.
Wang said Chatime would expand its business around the world this year by opening 250 stores, compared with 100 last year.
“The pace of business expansion would be smooth this year, with the world expected to recover from the pandemic in the second half,” Wang said.
La Kaffa also operates the restaurant chains Kingza Pork Chop (杏子豬排), DCZ Beef Noodles (段純貞牛肉麵), Osaka Ohsho Taiwan (大阪王將煎餃) and Kyoto-katsugyu Fried Steak (京都勝牛), and offers cold and hot desserts in Taiwan and 46 other nations.
La Kaffa expects its revenue to rebound to more than NT$5 billion (US$175.32 million) this year after a 15.85 percent decline last year, due to the pandemic, Wang said.
Chatime bubble milk tea would be priced at US$3 per cup in Palau, lower than US$5 in the US and about 6 euros (US$7) in European markets, officials said.
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