WING CAFE

About WING CAFE

Wing Cafe, known in Chinese as 咖啡之翼 (Kāfēi zhī Yì), is a multifaceted food and beverage company that started as a cafe and restaurant chain and has expanded into smart retail. It was founded in August 2000 by Yin Feng in Changsha, Hunan. Yin, a graduate of Hunan University's international trade program, had prior entrepreneurial experience in fashion retail, which helped her build a network within the local media and arts community. This network, which included influential figures like He Jiong who became a co-founder, was instrumental in the early branding and popularity of the cafe.

The company's primary business began with providing a one-stop cafe-restaurant experience, combining coffee, food, and a social atmosphere. The business model evolved to include a significant franchising operation. By 2017, the brand had grown to include nearly 300 franchise stores and 28 directly-owned locations across more than 130 cities in China. In 2010, Yin Feng established Beijing Coffee Wing Brand Management Co., Ltd. to professionalize its franchise management. In 2017, the company was listed on the NEEQ (New Third Board) in China, marking a significant milestone as a publicly listed entity in the country's coffee and light meal sector.

Responding to market changes and the rise of the new retail economy, Wing Cafe launched the "Free Wing" (自由翼) intelligent self-service coffee machine in 2017. This move signaled a strategic pivot towards technology and automated retail, aiming to capture a wider consumer base with convenient, freshly ground coffee. The company has continued to innovate in this area, developing SaaS systems for its operations and even launching smaller "small coffee bar" versions of its machines. In 2019, Wing Cafe acquired "Laibei Coffee," another coffee machine operator, to consolidate its position in the intelligent coffee machine market. The company's expansion into technology has attracted notable investors, including ZhenFund and celebrity entrepreneurs like Yao Jinbo and Chen Ou.