What do celebrity tea brand enforcement cases say about coffee beverage development?

Ben Gong's Tea, co-founded by Hu Haiquan, was listed as a dishonest judgment debtor after refusing to fulfill obligations, including a 70,000-yuan refund ordered in two installments. Natural Stupid Milk Tea, where Guan Xiaotong once served as store manager, also added enforced-person information of 1.3 million yuan.

Both cases topped Weibo hot searches and renewed debate over celebrity effect versus brand management. Hu Haiquan had already withdrawn his shares, and Guan Xiaotong's studio said the case is unrelated to her. For observers of coffee beverage development, the takeaway is that a famous name cannot carry a brand; product quality decides whether it lasts.

Recently, Weibo hot searches have continuously featured news about celebrity-associated tea beverage brands being subject to court enforcement. Ben Gong's Tea, co-founded by Hu Haiquan, was listed as a dishonest judgment debtor due to refusing to fulfill legal obligations, and Natural Stupid Milk Tea, where Guan Xiaotong once served as store manager, also added information as an enforced person. These two incidents have sparked widespread discussion among netizens about the relationship between celebrity effect and brand management. Hu Haiquan had already withdrawn his shares in advance, and Guan Xiaotong's studio stated that the case is unrelated to her. Whether the celebrity halo can support the long-term development of tea beverage brands, quality is the key.

Recently, the Weibo hot search list has been buzzing. Yesterday, two topics appeared simultaneously: #HuHaiquanMilkTeaBrandBenGongsTeaBecomesDeadbeat# and #GuanXiaotongNaturalStupidMilkTeaCompanyEnforced1.3Million#. The celebrity effect quickly attracted a large number of netizens to watch and discuss.

Let's first look at Ben Gong's Tea. According to Tianyancha APP information, due to having the ability to perform but refusing to fulfill the obligations determined by effective legal documents, the affiliated company of Ben Gong's Tea—Guangzhou Ben Gong Catering Service Co., Ltd.—was listed by the court as a dishonest judgment debtor.

The obligations determined by the effective legal documents show that after the plaintiff and defendant confirmed the termination of the contract, the defendant Guangzhou Ben Gong Catering Service Co., Ltd. should refund the plaintiff a usage fee of 70,000 yuan in two installments before August 25, 2023. As the defendant Ben Gong Catering Company failed to perform as agreed, the plaintiff applied to the court for enforcement. On September 6, Zheng Quan, the legal representative of Ben Gong Catering Company, was restricted from consumption, and on September 15, the company was listed as a dishonest judgment debtor.

After the news spread, netizens left comments expressing surprise: "I haven't heard the name Ben Gong's Tea for a long time, how did it become like this?" "No way, I used to drink it often. Investing really requires caution, caution, and more caution."

However, Hu Haiquan appearing in this hot search topic is actually somewhat unjust. According to the official website of "Ben Gong's Tea," Hu Haiquan co-founded the brand in 2015, but in January of this year, Guangzhou Jiangquan Investment Co., Ltd., in which Hu Haiquan held 44% of the shares, had already withdrawn from the company's shareholder ranks. Therefore, some netizens joked: "He withdrew his shares half a year before enforcement, can it still be called his? Does your ex-girlfriend know she's still your girlfriend?"

On the other side, the topic related to Guan Xiaotong also sparked debate.

Some media reports stated that according to Tianyancha App, recently Chengdu Natural Stupid Catering Management Co., Ltd. added a piece of information as an enforced person.

It is reported that when the Natural Stupid Milk Tea brand was first founded, Guan Xiaotong served as the "store manager" and also participated in shooting posters and promotional videos. The equity penetration panorama shows that the company is indirectly 35% owned by Guan Xiaotong's father, Guan Shaozeng.

After trending on Weibo, Guan Xiaotong's studio quickly posted a court civil ruling, responding: "The enforcement information of the relevant case is unrelated to Ms. Guan Xiaotong. We kindly ask everyone to cautiously spread relevant information and not to publish insulting or defamatory remarks against Ms. Guan Xiaotong based on this."

This response is not clear to ordinary netizens. Many netizens' impression of Natural Stupid Milk Tea still remains at the stage when Guan Xiaotong was the store manager, and they believe that many people joined the franchise because of the celebrity effect. "Before the incident, the store manager welcomes you; after the incident, this brand has nothing to do with me, huh." "Without the celebrity effect, who would be willing to join the franchise?"

But some fans, after sorting out the court ruling, clearly highlighted the key points, summarizing it as "it has nothing to do with Guan Xiaotong."

Objectively speaking, investment companies and tea beverage businesses with celebrity artists involved will always have a halo, carrying their own appeal and influence. But the celebrity halo can only surround the initial stage. Whether a tea beverage brand can go far ultimately depends on the quality of the brand itself. Just as Front Street Coffee insists, only by focusing on the product itself can it win the long-term trust of consumers.

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