Mixue's Breakthrough in Indonesia: the Halal Code Behind Chinese Brands Going Global

From the street to a benchmark: Mixue''s breakthrough in Indonesia holds the Halal code behind Chinese brands going global

When the crown-wearing, red-robed "Snow King" appears in the streets and alleys of Jakarta, Indonesia, and when local children hum the Chinese theme song "You love me, I love you, Mixue is sweet", this tea brand originating from Henan, China has long transcended being a mere commercial symbol to become a microcosm of China-Indonesia cultural integration.

Indonesia, the country with the world''s largest Halal consumer population, where 87% of the people follow Islam, treats "Halal" not only as a faith engraved in life but also as an ironclad rule for market access. For Chinese brands, how can they cross the barriers of religion and culture and take root and grow on this land?

Mixue gave the answer in four years - by the end of 2025, its number of stores in Indonesia had reached more than 2,600, surpassing the local coffee chain Kopi Kenangan to become Indonesia''s largest freshly made beverage chain brand. Behind this achievement is the utmost practice of Halal compliance, as well as deep reverence for and integration with local culture, providing a textbook-level model for Chinese brands going global.

I. The market-access "life-or-death line": Halal certification is not a choice, it''s the baseline

In Indonesia, "Halal" has never been an option, but an insurmountable market red line - it is both the faith of Halal-observing people and a mandatory requirement written into law, and the "only key" for a brand to open the Indonesian market.

Unlike the "label-style certification" of other markets, Indonesia''s Halal certification has standards strict to the extreme, audited throughout by the local authoritative body BPJPH; from raw material procurement and production processing to warehousing, transport, and terminal sales, every link must comply with Islamic-law norms, with no room for luck or perfunctoriness. Applying for this certification often takes months or even longer, testing an enterprise''s patience and determination, and screening out brands that truly want to take root locally.

For any food and beverage brand wanting to deeply cultivate the Indonesian market, Halal certification has never been a "bonus point", but an "entry permit" - without it, even the best product cannot be legally shelved, and even the most precise marketing is in vain. Mixue has had a clear understanding of this from its very first day in the Indonesian market.

II. Full-chain compliance: engraving the Halal philosophy into the DNA of enterprise operations

True compliance has never been "surface-level conformity", but a no-blind-spot practice from source to terminal. Mixue did not treat Halal certification as a "stepping stone", but integrated it into every detail of enterprise operations, achieving a full-chain Halal closed loop from supply chain to store terminal, demonstrating the attitude of "respecting the rules" in going global.

Halal revolution of the supply chain: building the foundation of trust from the source

The supply chain is the first line of defense for Halal compliance and the link most prone to risk. Mixue adopts a "deep local cultivation + strict screening" strategy to eliminate compliance loopholes at the root: it invests in building core factories locally in Indonesia, including coconut milk plants and cone factories, with the cone factory''s annual capacity reaching 300 million units, able to support the needs of 20,000 stores, ensuring the production of core raw materials fully meets Halal standards; at the same time, it establishes a strict supplier-access mechanism - whether raw material suppliers or logistics providers, all must have valid Halal certification, none excepted.

More crucially, Mixue implements strict physical isolation in production, warehousing, cold chain, and other links, setting up dedicated production lines, exclusive storage areas, and dedicated cold-chain logistics, ensuring no cross-contact between Halal and non-Halal products and eliminating contamination risk by process. Currently, Mixue has two warehouses in Indonesia, enabling logistics-free delivery on Java Island and guaranteeing ample store stock within 5 days, finding a perfect balance between an efficient supply chain and Halal compliance.

Halal reshaping of product recipes: respecting faith, leaving not a single hidden risk

Tea beverage recipes are complex with wide-ranging raw material sources, and the slightest negligence may touch Halal taboos. Mixue carried out a comprehensive "Halal reshaping" of all products entering the Indonesian market - resolutely removing any raw material that does not meet Halal standards, checking and strictly screening even inconspicuous emulsifiers and additives one by one, ensuring every product 100% conforms to Halal norms.

Even more sincerely, Mixue proactively disclosed all product recipes to the BPJPH certification body, concealing nothing and avoiding nothing, calmly accepting the strictest scrutiny, and with a transparent attitude won the dual trust of the certification body and local consumers. At the same time, combining Indonesians'' taste preferences, it developed beverages incorporating local specialty ingredients such as lemongrass and pineapple, perfectly integrating compliance with localized taste.

Halal implementation in store operations: making compliance visible and tangible

Terminal stores are the first window of contact between brand and consumer, and the "last mile" of Halal compliance. Every Mixue store in Indonesia puts the Halal philosophy into practice: all employees must receive systematic Halal operating-procedure training before taking up their posts, strictly following norms in every detail from raw material storage and beverage preparation to utensil cleaning; conspicuous HALAL marks are posted inside and outside the store, and the environment and employee attire respect Islamic culture with no taboo elements, giving consumers an intuitive and clear signal of trust.

Today, on the streets of Indonesia, long queues often form in front of Mixue stores, and products such as the brown-sugar pearl sundae have become a popular choice for local young people. "MIXUE" has long become one of the local trendy brands - behind this is the reputation built up by full-chain compliance.

III. Beyond compliance: winning hearts for the long term through cultural integration

If Halal compliance is the "stepping stone" for Mixue to enter the Indonesian market, then cultural integration is the "reassurance" for it to take root locally and win hearts. True globalization has never been about "selling products out", but about "integrating the brand in" - Mixue understands this well, and while holding the compliance baseline, it builds an emotional bridge with Indonesians through delicate humanistic care.

Festival marketing: empathizing with faith, conveying warmth

Ramadan is the most important festival for Halal-observing people, and a key opportunity for a brand to integrate into local culture. Every Ramadan, Mixue launches Ramadan-limited beverages, adjusting flavors to local dietary customs and pairing them with warm promotions to bring care to people during Ramadan. This festival-fitting marketing is not deliberate flattery but stems from a deep understanding of local culture, conveying brand warmth and further closing the distance with consumers.

Community giving back: rooting locally, practicing responsibility

A brand''s long-term development is inseparable from local community support. Mixue actively integrates into local communities in Indonesia, practicing social responsibility through concrete action: during the pandemic, it donated supplies to frontline medical staff and helped those in need; in daily operations, it drives local employment, helping more than 1,400 Indonesian business partners start their own businesses, directly creating about 12,800 store jobs and driving total social employment of more than 20,000 people, with local Indonesian employees accounting for over 96%.

This attitude of "taking from the local, giving to the local" has made Mixue no longer a foreign brand, but part of the local community, winning wide praise from Indonesians and making the "Snow King" image even more deeply rooted in people''s hearts. Even Gibran, then the eldest son of Indonesia''s then-President Jokowi and then-mayor of Surakarta in Central Java, was seen in public with a Mixue cup, indirectly confirming the brand''s local influence.

Conclusion: Mixue''s Indonesia approach is reverence, and even more, symbiosis

From entering the Indonesian market in 2020 to becoming the largest local freshly made beverage chain brand today, Mixue''s Indonesia journey has never been smooth sailing, but it proves through practice: Chinese brands going global has never been "the strong exporting", but "equal symbiosis"; not "copy and paste", but "adapting to local conditions". On the journey of Chinese tea going global, SINOQUAL, with its professional interpretation of overseas market policies and years of service experience, has helped many tea enterprises smoothly enter target markets, contributing its part to the birth of every beverage with an Eastern flavor!

Mixue''s success is essentially a victory of cultural respect and localization practice, and its experience is worth learning from for every Chinese brand wanting to open up the Halal market:

Respect is the cornerstone - placing the target market''s culture and religious faith at the strategic core, neither belittling nor perfunctory, and revering every rule, is the only way to win the most basic trust;

Compliance is the baseline - full-chain, no-blind-spot Halal compliance is the prerequisite for surviving in the Halal market; only by holding the baseline can one move forward steadily;

Integration is the sublimation - going beyond simple commercial transactions, integrating into local life through festival empathy and community giving-back, and building emotional connections, is the way to achieve long-term win-win.

Today, Mixue''s "sweetness" has spread to the streets and alleys of Indonesia; it has brought not only Chinese tea culture but also the reverence and sincerity of Chinese brands. True globalization has never been about making the world adapt to us, but about us proactively integrating into the world - Mixue''s Indonesia approach is the best footnote for Chinese brands going global.