BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- For many Chinese food and beverage companies, overseas expansion was once a cautious choice, especially in distant markets with different cultures and consumer habits. In recent years, however, Latin America has emerged as an increasingly attractive destination as Chinese brands seek new avenues for growth.
Among the latest Chinese brands to venture into Latin America is Mixue, a drink and dessert chain that opened its first store in Brazil earlier this month. The debut quickly drew attention on local social media, with related videos and photos going viral. Many users jumped to the comment sections to ask when the brand would open more stores in Brazil.
Earlier in February, Mixue opened an outlet in Mexico. Although Mixue is a household name in China, breaking into a market across the Pacific is no easy task. So how did the beverage chain manage to pull off a successful expansion into Latin America? In a written interview with Xinhua, Mixue pointed to a simple recipe: creating products that cater to local tastes.
For its Brazil launch, for example, the company introduced a tailor-made acai berry ice cream featuring a tropical fruit native to Brazil. It also offered multiple sugar-level options to cater to local consumers' preference for sweeter flavors.
Data showed that as of Dec. 31, 2025, the company operated about 4,500 overseas outlets. In addition to a localization strategy, the company pointed to its supply chain capabilities, brand intellectual property and store operations as core strengths, saying standardized management and a sustainable franchise model have supported its overseas expansion.
For industry observers, Mixue's Brazil debut offers a glimpse into the broader overseas push by Chinese food and beverage brands. Chen Hongbo, founder of Hongcan, a catering service platform, said that beyond traditional destinations such as Southeast Asia and North America, Chinese brands are increasingly moving into emerging markets like Latin America.
Over recent years, a growing number of Chinese food and beverage brands have bolstered their presence in the Latin American market. For example, several bubble tea and malatang spicy food chains have opened outlets in countries such as Mexico and Peru, while Keeta, Meituan's international food-delivery brand, entered Brazil in 2025.
Chen noted that Chinese food and beverage brands have traditionally prioritized overseas markets with large Chinese communities. However, he said companies are now placing greater emphasis on market potential and their long-term strategic positioning.
Home to a number of vibrant economies and a large, dynamic young consumer base, Latin America offers vast growth potential for the freshly made food and beverage market, an area where Chinese companies have already established a strong position at home.
Analysts say that food and beverage brands, which are closely linked to everyday life and consumer habits, can help international consumers gain a better understanding of Chinese culture and market trends, while also opening up new opportunities for economic and trade cooperation.
Zhou Zhiwei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that new business models represented by the food and beverage sector are becoming a key feature of China's consumer market and are now emerging as a new lifestyle trend worldwide.
The sector is expected to receive more policy support because it helps promote Chinese culture globally and aligns with consumer market rules, Zhou said. He added that the sector will develop in a more sustainable and vibrant way, while further unleashing its potential.
According to Mixue, its Latin American journey is making steady progress. The company said plans are already underway for its second store in Brazil. It will continue to strengthen localization in overseas markets by studying local consumer habits, adapting its products to suit dietary preferences, and steadily building local operational systems.
Yue Yunxia, also with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China-Latin America economic and trade cooperation has evolved from the simple import and export of goods to trade-oriented investment, and further toward the establishment of local supply chains. Looking ahead, localized production is expected to become increasingly feasible, Yue said.
Yue added that such cooperation is shifting from traditional complementarity in resources and manufacturing toward a new model driven by consumption growth and adaptation to local consumption patterns, with cooperation along the value chain expected to continue deepening.
"This type of cooperation, which takes place in consumer sectors closely related to people's livelihoods, will unlock enormous potential for future China-Latin America economic and trade exchanges," Yue said. ■
