Malaysia’s Tealive eyes more branches in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The food and beverage company behind Malaysian lifestyle tea brand Tealive aims to have 30 branches in the Philippines by yearend.

Michael Dumaual, general manager for Loob Holding Sdn Bhd’s operations in the Philippines, said in a  statement yesterday that the goal is to double its growth every year.

The first Tealive outlet in the Philippines located at SM Jazz Mall in Makati City, was launched last Feb.22.

Dumaual is confident of expanding Tealive’s footprint in the Philippines as the country ranks second in Southeast Asia in terms of the number of bubble tea drinkers.

Filipinos also consume an average of five cups of milk tea in a month.

Tealive offers a variety of beverages including brown sugar pearl milk tea, handcrafted tea, coffee and smoothies.

To set itself apart from other brands, Tealive’s signature Aren Palm Sugar drinks are  made with a derivative from sugar palm and have lower glycemic index than regular sugar and honey, providing consumers a healthier choice.

Each Aren Palm Sugar drink is served upside down to allow the dark brown syrup from the bottom to drip to the top like lava.

“Aside from our line-up of great products, we will also lead the way to digitize today’s mostly offline-dominated milk tea industry by providing an omnichannel experience. We’re launching our very own Tealive app in April that boasts of a streamlined pick-up feature, in-app delivery and personalized loyalty program,” Dumaual said.

Malaysia External Trade Development Corp. Manila Trade Commissioner Siti Azlina said the opening of Tealive’s store in the Philippines reflects Malaysia’s confidence in the market.

She said Tealive’s expansion augurs well with the recent signing of the Retail Trade Liberalization Act amendment into law, which seeks to encourage more foreign retailers to come to the country.

“As Malaysia invests capital into the Philippines by opening stores of our homegrown brands, this means more employment opportunities,” she said.

She said bilateral trade between Malaysia and the Philippines grew by 24.6 percent to $7.84 billion last year, an encouraging development given the ongoing pandemic.

“MATRADE as the national trade agency will continue to facilitate Malaysian businesses entering this market, as well as bridging Filipinos with Malaysian companies for their sourcing needs through various program line up this year,” Azlina said.