Heytea, the Chinese tea brand founded in 2012, opened its first U.S. Gelato Lab+ last week at 863 Broadway in New York’s Union Square. The location is the company’s fourth lab-format store outside China, following openings in New York’s Times Square, Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto and Bangkok. The location combines Heytea’s signature beverages with eight gelato and sorbet flavours made fresh daily using real fruit, fresh milk and distinctive ingredients. Offerings include Mango Coconut Sticky Rice Gelato, Grape Basque Cheesecake Gelato, dairy-free Jasmine Yuzu Sorbet and Black Sesame Gelato. The concept extends the brand’s experimental approach to transforming its signature tea bases and drinks into desserts and other products. Heytea’s gelato development began in Shenzhen in 2019, while its first U.S. lab-format store opened in Times Square in February 2025. The Union Square location features an unfinished industrial-inspired interior, retaining original brickwork and exposed structural elements. Local partnerships include a collaboration with New York artist Jon Burgerman and a limited-edition everything-bagel cream cheese gelato developed with Tompkins Square Bagels. Heytea operates more than 3,500 stores in over 330 cities worldwide, including more than 45 U.S. locations. Its expansion strategy combines standardized operations with experimental store formats, locally inspired products and community partnerships.
Heytea – Nanshan District of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China (franchising-ca@heytea.com)