Where did coffee originate, and what can the blind box economy teach?

A cleaning lady at a Hangzhou company built a 5-yuan blind box milk tea stall in the office pantry after teaching herself the recipe online for her daughter. Employees line up daily at 2 PM and it sells out fast. The story trended on Weibo, echoing a Mixue blind box milk tea launch in Qingdao that lifted daily store revenue from 3,000 yuan to over 10,000 yuan.

The pattern mirrors how other drinks spread: novelty plus low price drives trial, then habit. Blind box milk tea works because buyers get a known classic flavor with an unknown twist, and the price removes risk. Long before this, the question of where did coffee originate shaped trade routes, and when did coffee become popular in europe, cafés did the same thing—made a new drink social and cheap enough to try daily.

Recently, a "blind box milk tea" made by a company cleaning lady in Hangzhou trended on Weibo, priced at just 5 yuan per cup, prompting employees across the entire company to line up and snap it up daily. The lady taught herself to make it because her daughter loves milk tea, and set up a stall in the office pantry. Business became so booming that she had no time for square dancing. Coincidentally, in April this year, the blind box milk tea launched by the Mixue brand in Qingdao also went viral, driving the store's daily revenue from 3,000 yuan to over 10,000 yuan. The blind box economy has shown astonishing crossover appeal in recent years—from toys to milk tea, it seems whatever it touches turns to gold. This article will walk you through the story of how blind box milk tea became a hit, analyze the origins, characteristics, and marketing logic behind the blind box economy, and explore how brands can leverage blind boxes for sustainable business.

Recently, another milk tea-related topic appeared on the Weibo trending list 👇

According to the trending content, this is a "blind box" milk tea, made by a cleaning lady at a company in Hangzhou.

Perhaps because the price is affordable enough (only 5 yuan per cup), combined with the fun brought by the "blind box" concept, the lady's milk tea actually had all the company's employees lining up every day—if you were too slow, you simply couldn't get one.

Every day at exactly 2 PM, a long line forms in front of the pantry, with some employees even bringing their own large mugs to fill up.

Although it's branded as a "blind box," according to feedback from those who've tried it: the milk tea tastes quite good, and classic flavors can be enjoyed in this blind box milk tea too. As a result, the lady's milk tea is almost always sold out in seconds every day.

When talking about the original idea behind making "blind box" milk tea, the cleaning lady said: her daughter loves drinking milk tea and spends money on it every day, so she taught herself the recipe online. Later, on a whim, she simply set up a "blind box" milk tea stall in the company pantry—and unexpectedly, business became incredibly good.

When asked whether selling at 5 yuan a cup would mean losing money, the lady's answer was quite bold: she's not short on money—her family owns several properties!!! She makes milk tea purely for fun, and her only complaint is being too busy to join her girlfriends for square dancing.

However, this is not the first time "blind box" milk tea has entered the public eye.

In April this year, "blind box" milk tea had a moment of popularity on Douyin.

A Mixue brand founded in Hangzhou launched a blind box milk tea at its Qingdao store, where customers have a chance to unbox gifts like lipstick, eyeshadow, and hair clips after purchase.

Thanks to the boost from blind box milk tea, at the peak of its popularity in mid-March this year, Mixue milk tea stores in Shandong that launched the promotion earlier saw daily revenue jump from 3,000 yuan to over 10,000 yuan.

In recent years, the "blind box economy" has remained a hot commodity, with astonishing crossover appeal—it seems whatever blind boxes touch turns to gold.

According to the Baidu Baike entry:

A blind box refers to a toy box where consumers cannot know the specific product style in advance. It has a random nature—only by opening it can you find out what you've drawn. Because uncertain stimulation reinforces repetitive decision-making, blind boxes have become addictive, and consumers can't help but splurge on buying them!!

The concept of blind boxes likely originated from Japan's fukubukuro (lucky bags). Various forms like gashapon and blind boxes have long existed in China, but blind boxes didn't truly explode until 2019, becoming a widespread economic phenomenon.

The "blind box economy" is a marketing method for brands, and for consumers it's more about creating a sense of unexpected surprise. But no matter which brand's product pairs up with blind boxes, relying solely on "blind box economy" marketing is not a long-term strategy—only when a brand itself has "hard" strength is it the key to sustainable business.

*Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.