Shelley Sandzer secures North West debut for Taiwanese tea brand

Taiwanese fruit tea specialist brand, YiFang, is set to launch its first-ever café in the north west, and only second outside London, in Manchester this Spring. The 1,700 sq ft tea emporium at University Green, in Manchester University, was secured by leading specialist UK leisure property agency, Shelley Sandzer.

YiFang was inspired by the story of the founder’s eponymous great grandmother, whom after marrying a pineapple farmer was innovative enough to braise overripe pineapples into homemade jam that could be preserved. She mixed the fruit jam with tea for the entire family to enjoy and the wonderful recipe has since been passed on. Today, YiFang's range of all-natural, premium teas are made with no artificial flavouring and Taiwanese tea as well as locally sourced milk and fresh fruit, and are available in over 1,000 stores globally. All drinks from YiFang are gluten-free and the brand provides a selection of vegan-friendly teas, such as Luga Oolong Tea and Pineapple Green Tea.

Over 20 varieties of traditional and contemporary tea – including fruit teas, fresh milk tea with tapioca pearl, and the infamous brown sugar ‘Mud Flip’ – will be served from the new Manchester café, which is focused around a “GREEN” concept and features regular customer-centric events, such as floristry and painting, with space to display the creations within the café itself.

Pokai Wang of YiFang commented: “The spotlight is very much on Taiwan’s food and drink culture, and since launching our first permanent store in the UK in 2018, we have experienced an overwhelming affection for our teas. Opening in Manchester is the right step as we expand the offer across the UK, and Shelley Sandzer have no doubt found the ideal site where university students and locals alike can enjoy our teas.”

Etai Page, Leasing Agent at Shelley Sandzer, added: “We’ve been part of YiFang’s UK expansion from the very start, and this first move to the north west marks a big steppingstone for the brand. University Green is an exciting development in a vibrant growth area of Manchester, and YiFang will bring another dimension to its existing lineup.”

Shelley Sandzer is a leading and dynamic agency, specialising in the restaurant and leisure property sector. The company provides considered and valued advice to many of the UK’s most highly regarded restaurant brands, centres, developments high streets and landlords, via a lateral thinking team with an unparalleled knowledge and understanding of the leisure business. Shelley Sandzer is also known for the key role it plays in launching new entrants and unique concepts to the market, such as Sweet Chick, Honey & Smoke, and Frame.  

Shelley Sandzer acted for YiFang.