CHAGEE's matcha debut banks on community as the new flavour strategy

CHAGEE is leaning into community culture, creator participation and customer co-creation with the launch of its first-ever matcha series in Malaysia, marking the brand’s first matcha rollout across Southeast Asia.

Dubbed the “First harvest matcha series”, the launch introduces three drinks nationwide: the Signature Matcha Latte, Pistachio Matcha Latte and Oreo Matcha Frappé.

The drinks are crafted from first harvest spring tea leaves, shade-grown for over 20 days and ground to 1000 mesh for a smoother texture and deeper umami flavour.

However, beyond the beverages themselves, the launch signals a broader marketing play by CHAGEE to position matcha as both a lifestyle and community experience.

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The campaign, “Green is the new cool”, kicked off with 'Sip & jam', a public activation held at WOLO Kuala Lumpur featuring a morning run, live DJ sets and free matcha tastings.

It also included a members-exclusive preview session, alongside TikTok-led community challenges such as #MatCHAGeng, which encouraged consumers to dress in green and create content with friends.

According to Eugene Lee, Malaysia was intentionally chosen as the first Southeast Asian market for CHAGEE’s matcha push due to the country’s increasingly sophisticated matcha culture.

“Malaysian consumers, especially younger urban ones, have developed a real and quite sophisticated appreciation for matcha. They know what they like, they are vocal about it, and they engage with brands on a real level,” he said.

That vocal engagement ultimately shaped the product itself.

Following the initial launch on 10 April, CHAGEE turned to social media and in-store QR code feedback systems to gather customer opinions on the drinks. On 23 April, selected in-store TV screens were replaced entirely with QR codes, allowing customers to instantly vote on the updated formulations after tasting them.

“We framed it as ‘you decide if this is ready’, because we genuinely wanted the community to have a say before we relaunched,” Lee explained.

The result was “Matcha 2.0”, relaunched on 24 April with a stronger, more matcha-forward flavour profile tailored to Malaysian tastes. The Signature Matcha Latte now also comes with an optional “Matcha plus” intensity level.

Lee added that initiatives such as 'Sip & jam' and #MatCHAGeng reflect how Malaysian consumers engage with brands socially and collectively.

“Malaysians don’t just consume trends, they jump in, talk about them, and bring their friends along. A campaign that invites people in will always land better than one that just broadcasts at them,” he said.

The TikTok challenge also tapped into Malaysia’s deeply embedded “geng” culture, relying on campus, dance and lifestyle micro-creators to spread organically through peer networks instead of traditional advertising.

Alongside the drinks, CHAGEE also released limited-edition merchandise including matcha-themed paper badges, tote bags and phone stands, further extending the campaign into collectible lifestyle territory.

Earlier in October last year, CHAGEE unveiled its first-ever global flagship store outside China, marking a new milestone in its international expansion.

Located at the WOLO Hotel in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, the opening reinforced the brand’s confidence in Malaysia, one of its most mature and successful overseas markets since first entering the country in 2019. While flagship stores are often used by brands to anchor visibility, CHAGEE viewed them as essential to building meaningful brand experiences. 

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