Tealive

Tealive is a Malaysian tea-beverage chain established in 2017 by Loob Holding Sdn. Bhd. The brand emerged after the breakdown of the relationship between Loob, the Malaysian franchise operator of Taiwanese tea chain Chatime, and Chatime's parent company, La Kaffa International. Following disagreements concerning the direction of the Malaysian business, royalty arrangements, and supply-chain management, La Kaffa terminated the franchise relationship. Loob subsequently developed a new brand rather than continuing to operate under the Chatime name. Bryan Loo, identified in the brand's early history as Loob Holdings' chief executive, launched Tealive on 17 February 2017. The first Malaysian Tealive outlet opened at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on 26 February 2017. Its initial launch followed the closure of the former Chatime network and introduced a refreshed menu built around milk tea, flavored tea, fruit tea, and pearl-based beverages. Early signature products included brown-sugar pearl milk tea, roasted milk tea with handmade pearls, passion-fruit green tea, and grapefruit chia tea. The brand's business model centers on accessible, made-to-order tea beverages sold through a broad network of mall, street, convenience, and drive-through locations. Its menu includes pearl milk tea, milk teas, fruit teas, tea-based refreshers, and related flavored drinks. Tealive has positioned itself as a lifestyle-oriented beverage brand rather than solely as a traditional tea retailer, using product innovation and a high-frequency retail format to serve younger and mainstream consumers. Tealive expanded beyond Malaysia during its first year, opening its first international outlet in Vietnam in 2017. It later developed a regional presence in Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Malaysia remains its principal market. The company reported opening its 800th branch in Batu Kawan, Penang, on 25 September 2022, and stated an ambition to reach 1,000 branches by 2024. In early 2019, it also introduced a drive-through format through a collaboration with Petronas in Subang Jaya, Selangor. The brand's early growth was accompanied by a significant legal dispute with Chatime and La Kaffa. In 2018, Malaysia's Court of Appeal ordered Tealive's owner, Loob Holdings, to close its operations after ruling in favor of La Kaffa in a dispute concerning the former franchise relationship and alleged changes to beverage ingredients without approval. Tealive continued operating while the parties pursued an out-of-court settlement, which ended the legal conflict. Despite the dispute, Tealive remained active and continued expanding its store network. Tealive is therefore best understood as a Malaysian-origin beverage brand created through the separation of a local franchise operation from its former international franchisor. Its identity is closely associated with rapid regional rollout, pearl milk tea and flavored tea products, multiple store formats, and Loob Holding's broader food-and-beverage operating platform. Current detailed information about its corporate ownership structure, present executive team, financial performance, and official website is not established in the supplied references.

Tealive was created in Malaysia in 2017 by Loob Holding Sdn. Bhd. Its origins lie in Loob's operation of the Malaysian franchise network of Chatime, a Taiwanese tea-beverage brand owned internationally by La Kaffa International. The relationship deteriorated over disagreements about the direction of Chatime Malaysia, franchise royalties, and supply-chain management. In early 2017, La Kaffa decided to terminate its agreement with Loob. The termination followed the closure of the former network's 165 outlets in 2016 and left Loob without the Chatime franchise under which it had operated. Rather than exit the tea-beverage market, Loob developed a replacement brand. Bryan Loo, described in the brand's early history as Loob Holdings' chief executive, launched Tealive on 17 February 2017. The first Malaysian Tealive outlet opened at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on 26 February. The new chain introduced a menu intended to establish an independent identity, including signature brown-sugar pearl milk tea, roasted milk tea with handmade pearls, passion-fruit green tea, and grapefruit chia tea. These products reflected the brand's focus on milk tea, tapioca or pearl toppings, fruit flavors, and contemporary tea-based drinks. Tealive expanded internationally in the same year, opening its first overseas outlet in Vietnam. Subsequent operations extended to Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, while Malaysia remained the center of the network. The chain pursued a high-volume retail strategy based on numerous outlets in shopping centers and other convenient locations. It also experimented with alternative store formats. In early 2019, Tealive opened its first drive-through branch through a collaboration with Petronas in Subang Jaya, Selangor, connecting the beverage brand with fuel-station convenience retail. The brand's separation from Chatime produced a major legal dispute. On 27 June 2018, Malaysia's Court of Appeal ordered Tealive, owned by Loob Holdings, to close its operations after finding against the company in proceedings involving La Kaffa. La Kaffa alleged that Tealive had breached the former franchise arrangement and had changed drink ingredients without the parent franchisor's approval. Tealive did not cease operating immediately; instead, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement that ended the legal battle. The dispute remains a defining event in Tealive's corporate history because it established the circumstances under which the new brand emerged. After the litigation, Tealive continued operating and expanding. On 25 September 2022, it opened its 800th Malaysian branch in Batu Kawan, Penang. The company stated a goal of reaching 1,000 branches by 2024. The supplied reference material does not establish whether that target was achieved, nor does it provide current store counts, detailed financial results, a current executive roster, or a verified official website. Tealive's documented history nevertheless shows a rapid transition from a former franchise network into an independent Malaysian tea brand with regional operations and a broad consumer-beverage offering.

• 2022

  800th Malaysian branch

  [1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  The brand opened its 800th branch in Batu Kawan, Penang, and announced plans to reach 1,000 branches by 2024.

• 2019

  First drive-through outlet

  [1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  Tealive opened its first drive-through branch in collaboration with Petronas in Subang Jaya, Selangor.

• 2018

  Court of Appeal ruling in the Chatime dispute

  [1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  The Court of Appeal ordered Tealive's operations to close after ruling against Loob Holdings in litigation brought by La Kaffa International. The dispute was later settled out of court.

• 2017

  Tealive is launched

  [1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  Bryan Loo launched Tealive on 17 February 2017 after Loob's Chatime franchise relationship ended.

• 2017

  First Malaysian Tealive outlet opens

  [1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  The first Malaysian branch opened at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on 26 February 2017.

• 2017

  International expansion begins in Vietnam

  [1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  Tealive opened its first international outlet in Vietnam during its first year.

• 2016

  Closure of the former Chatime network

  [1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  The former Malaysian Chatime network operated by Loob was closed before the creation of Tealive; the supplied reference describes 165 outlets as having closed in 2016.

A Malaysian lifestyle tea and bubble-tea chain emphasizing accessible made-to-order beverages, menu variety, rapid store expansion, and convenient formats such as mall, street, and drive-through outlets.

• Milk tea

  Pearl milk tea

  Pearl milk tea is one of Tealive's core offerings. It combines brewed or prepared tea with a milk-based beverage and chewy pearl toppings, placing the brand within the mainstream bubble-tea category.

• Milk tea · 2017

  Signature Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Tea

  A signature launch beverage built around milk tea, brown-sugar flavoring, and pearl toppings. It was part of the initial menu used to distinguish Tealive from the former Chatime operation.

• Milk tea · 2017

  Roasted Milk Tea with Handmade Pearls

  This launch-period milk-tea product emphasized a roasted tea profile and handmade pearls, combining a differentiated tea flavor with the texture associated with pearl beverages.

• Fruit tea · 2017

  Signature Passion Fruit Green Tea

  A fruit-forward green-tea beverage combining passion-fruit flavor with a green-tea base. It represented Tealive's effort to offer alternatives to milk-based drinks at launch.

• Tea refresher · 2017

  Grapefruit Chia Tea Booster

  A grapefruit-flavored tea beverage with chia elements. The product broadened the opening menu toward fruit-based and textured tea refreshers rather than limiting the chain to pearl milk tea.

• Tea beverage

  Flavored teas

  Tealive sells a range of flavored tea drinks in addition to its milk-tea products. The supplied sources identify flavored tea as a general product category but do not provide a complete current menu.

• 2018

  Chatime franchise litigation

  La Kaffa International, the owner of Chatime, brought a dispute against Loob Holdings concerning the former Malaysian franchise relationship. La Kaffa alleged that Tealive had breached the agreement and altered beverage ingredients without approval. Malaysia's Court of Appeal ordered Tealive to close its operations, but the parties subsequently reached an out-of-court settlement and ended the legal battle.

  Source

Read more

• 2022

  Set a 1,000-branch expansion ambitionStrategy

  Background

  Tealive reached its 800th Malaysian branch in September 2022.

  Action taken

  The company stated plans to reach 1,000 branches by 2024.

  Source

• 2019

  Add a drive-through retail formatStrategy

  Background

  Tealive sought to extend its convenience proposition beyond conventional mall and storefront locations.

  Action taken

  It opened its first drive-through branch in collaboration with Petronas in Subang Jaya, Selangor.

  Aftermath

  The move added a roadside and vehicle-oriented format to the brand's store network.

  Source

• 2017

  Create an independent replacement brand after the Chatime separationStrategy

  Background

  La Kaffa terminated its agreement with Loob Holdings after disagreements over the direction of Chatime Malaysia, royalties, and supply-chain management.

  Action taken

  Loob launched Tealive in February 2017 and reopened the Malaysian business under a new brand identity and menu.

  Aftermath

  Tealive became an active regional tea chain and expanded into several Southeast Asian markets.

  Source

• 2017

  Begin international expansion in VietnamStrategy

  Background

  After launching in Malaysia, Tealive pursued regional growth as an independent tea-beverage brand.

  Action taken

  The company opened its first international outlet in Vietnam during 2017.

  Aftermath

  The brand later operated in Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

  Source

• 2022

  Tealive reaches 800 Malaysian branches[1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Tealive opened its 800th branch in Batu Kawan, Penang, and announced an ambition to reach 1,000 branches by 2024.

• 2019

  Tealive introduces a drive-through format with Petronas[1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The brand opened its first drive-through outlet in collaboration with Petronas in Subang Jaya, Selangor.

• 2017

  Tealive launches after the end of Loob's Chatime franchise relationship[1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Bryan Loo launched Tealive on 17 February 2017 after Loob Holdings lost its Malaysian Chatime franchise. The first Malaysian outlet opened at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on 26 February.

• 2017

  Tealive opens its first international outlet in Vietnam[1]Tealiveen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Tealive began its international expansion by opening an outlet in Vietnam during the year of its establishment.

1. 1Tealiveen.wikipedia.org