Coffee chains are fighting five millennia of heritage in China. According to legend, tea-drinking started in 2737 BC when leaves blew into an emperor’s cup of boiled water. Starbucks and local rival Luckin want to rewrite local tradition in favour of newfangled coffee. To fuel expansion, the Chinese café group is raising funds in the US. The initial public offering may deliver more froth than caffeine hit.
在中國,咖啡連鎖店要與5000年的傳統(tǒng)爭鋒。相傳喝茶的習(xí)慣始于公元前2737年,當(dāng)時隨風(fēng)飛揚(yáng)的葉子恰好落入皇帝的一杯開水。星巴克(Starbucks)和本土競爭對手瑞幸咖啡(Luckin Coffee)希望改寫傳統(tǒng),鼓勵中國消費(fèi)者喜歡上新近流行起來的咖啡。為了推動擴(kuò)張,這家中國咖啡連鎖集團(tuán)正在美國籌集資金。其首次公開發(fā)行(IPO)可能在更大程度上帶來泡沫,而不是令人振作的咖啡因。