Meet Rongrong Zhou | Chain Tea Drink Brand Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rongrong Zhou and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rongrong, how does your business help the community?
For us at Auntea Jenny, social impact isn’t something we do on the side – it’s woven into the very fabric of who we are as a business. We believe that every transaction, every job created, every story shared has the potential to create positive change in someone’s life.

Our most direct community impact comes through our women’s empowerment initiatives. Through our “Little Red Flower” program, we partner with organizations that support women facing real challenges – single mothers trying to make ends meet, individuals with disabilities seeking meaningful work, rural women looking for economic opportunities. We commission these incredible women to handcraft small gifts using traditional techniques, providing them with sustainable income and dignity. When our customers receive these flowers, they’re not just getting a beautiful token – they’re participating in a cycle of support that helps other women build better lives for themselves and their families.

But our impact goes deeper than individual programs. As an Asian-founded business expanding globally, we’re helping bridge cultural divides and create understanding between Eastern and Western communities. When we introduce our grain-based wellness concepts to American customers, we’re not just selling beverages – we’re sharing centuries of wellness wisdom in an accessible way. We’re helping people discover that health and pleasure don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

In terms of community building, every Auntea Jenny location becomes a gathering place where people can experience something authentic and nourishing. We’re creating jobs – not just any jobs, but opportunities for people to be part of something meaningful. Our team members aren’t just serving drinks; they’re sharing stories, building connections, and contributing to their local economies.

Perhaps most importantly, we’re demonstrating that businesses can be profitable while being purposeful. In a world where profit and social good are often seen as competing priorities, we’re proving they can work hand in hand. When other entrepreneurs see our success, it gives them permission to build their own businesses with social impact at the core, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond our own operations.

The way I see it, every cup we serve is an opportunity to make someone’s day a little brighter, every job we create helps a family build a better future, and every story we share inspires someone else to follow their dreams while lifting others up along the way. That’s the kind of community impact that feels sustainable and authentic to us.

What should our readers know about your business?
Building Bridges Through Business: The Auntea Jenny Story

What sets Auntea Jenny apart isn’t just our unique grain-based beverages – it’s our philosophy of being a cultural bridge. We’re not trying to be a traditional Chinese tea house or copy Western coffee culture. We’re creating something entirely new that honors ancient wellness wisdom while speaking to modern lifestyles. When you taste our signature blood glutinous rice milk tea, you’re experiencing centuries of nutritional knowledge presented in a way that feels fresh and accessible.

I’m most proud that we’ve proven you can scale rapidly without losing your soul. We’ve grown from that tiny 25-square-meter shop to over 9,400 locations globally and went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but we’ve never compromised on our commitment to women’s empowerment or quality ingredients. Every major business milestone has been matched with expanded social impact programs.

The Reality: It Definitely Wasn’t Easy

The journey has been anything but smooth. One of our biggest challenges came in 2019 when we realized our beloved grain teas weren’t resonating in southern China’s warmer climates. We had built our entire identity around this concept, and suddenly we needed to pivot to fresh fruit teas while maintaining our core values. The financial pressure was enormous – we essentially had to rebuild our supply chain, retrain thousands of employees, and redesign our product development process.

I remember nights when I questioned everything. Were we abandoning what made us special? Could we maintain our authenticity while evolving? The corporate side of my brain wanted detailed market research and foolproof plans, but we didn’t have time for that luxury.

How We Overcame and What We Learned

The breakthrough came when I stopped thinking about change as failure and started seeing it as evolution. We didn’t abandon our wellness philosophy – we found new ways to express it. Those grain-based principles became the foundation for how we approached fruit teas, ensuring they were nutritious and satisfying, not just sweet.

The biggest lesson has been about authentic leadership. Early on, I thought I needed to have all the answers before making decisions. Now I know that showing vulnerability, admitting when something isn’t working, and involving your team in problem-solving creates much stronger outcomes than pretending to be infallible.

Another crucial lesson: your cultural background isn’t a limitation to overcome – it’s your competitive advantage. I used to worry that our Eastern wellness approach might seem too foreign for global markets. Now I realize that authenticity is what people crave in a world full of generic brands.

What I Want the World to Know

I want people to understand that Auntea Jenny represents possibility – the possibility that you can honor your roots while embracing change, that you can build something profitable while being purposeful, that you can be a global brand while staying locally connected.

Our brand philosophy “Follow Your Inner Cheetah, Love and Wink” isn’t marketing speak – it’s how we actually operate. The “Love” represents our commitment to independence, exploration, and constant renewal. The “Wink” is our reminder to approach challenges with confidence and lightness rather than fear and rigidity.

Most importantly, I want other entrepreneurs, especially women and people from underrepresented communities, to see our story and realize they don’t need to choose between staying true to themselves and achieving massive success. You don’t need to sand off your unique edges to fit someone else’s idea of what a successful business should look like.

The Ongoing Journey

Even now, expanding into the U.S. market brings new challenges. American consumers have different taste preferences, regulatory environments are complex, and we’re building brand awareness from scratch. But these challenges excite me because they push us to keep innovating while staying grounded in our values.

What I’ve learned is that building a business isn’t about reaching a final destination – it’s about staying curious, remaining adaptable, and never forgetting why you started. For us, that “why” has always been creating something that nourishes people while empowering communities, and as long as we stay true to that mission, the business challenges become just puzzles to solve rather than insurmountable obstacles.

The world needs more businesses that see profit and purpose as partners, not competitors. That’s the legacy I want Auntea Jenny to represent.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A Week in LA: My Perfect Itinerary for Friends

Day 1 – Downtown & Arts District Start with breakfast at Grand Central Market – it’s like a microcosm of LA’s incredible diversity. Then explore the Arts District, grab coffee at Blue Bottle, and definitely hit up the Broad Museum. Evening drinks at Perch with those stunning city views.

Day 2 – Venice & Santa Monica Morning at Venice Beach for the full LA beach experience – street performers, muscle beach, the boardwalk energy. Lunch at Guelaguetza for authentic Oaxacan food (best mole in the city!). Sunset at Santa Monica Pier because it’s classic for a reason.

Day 3 – West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Brunch on Melrose, then shopping and people-watching. Drive through Beverly Hills just to see those iconic palm-lined streets. Dinner at Night + Market for incredible Thai food, then drinks on a rooftop in WeHo.

Day 4 – Cultural LA Getty Center in the morning – the art and architecture are breathtaking. Afternoon in Little Tokyo for ramen at Daikokuya. Evening at Walt Disney Concert Hall if there’s a show, or just walk around downtown to see the architecture lit up.

Day 5 – Foodie Adventure Hit up different neighborhoods for their specialties – Korean BBQ in Koreatown, tacos in East LA, maybe some dim sum in Chinatown. End at Grand Central Market for dessert because you can never have too much of that place.

Day 6 – Nature & Views Hike Runyon Canyon or the Hollywood Sign trail (depending on their fitness level), then Griffith Observatory for those postcard LA views. Beach day in Manhattan Beach – it’s less touristy but gorgeous.

Day 7 – Hidden Gems The Last Bookstore downtown is magical. Lunch in Silver Lake at one of those cute cafes, then explore the vintage shops. End with cocktails at a speakeasy like The Varnish.

The best part about LA is how every neighborhood feels like a different city – you can experience multiple cultures, cuisines, and vibes all in one week!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is such a beautiful question because success truly is a collective effort, and I have so many people to thank.

First and foremost, I want to shout out to that elderly woman in the Shanghai alley whose tea shop changed everything for me. I never even learned her name, but her innovation and dedication to creating something special inspired our entire business. She represents all the small business owners and street vendors who pour their hearts into their craft every single day, often without recognition. Her willingness to experiment with traditional recipes and create something new gave me permission to do the same on a larger scale.

I also want to recognize my husband and co-founder, who had the courage to take this leap with me. Starting a business tests every aspect of your relationship, and his unwavering support during the countless late nights, financial uncertainties, and difficult decisions has been my anchor. He believed in this vision even when I had moments of doubt.

But honestly, the group that deserves the biggest shoutout is our early team members and customers in Shanghai. Those first employees who joined us when we were just a tiny 25-square-meter shop with big dreams – they didn’t just work for us, they believed in us. They helped us figure out operations, gave us honest feedback, and stayed with us through the growing pains. And our early customers who lined up every day, who brought their friends, who became our unofficial ambassadors – they taught us what we were doing right and, just as importantly, what we needed to improve.

I’d be remiss not to mention the women who participate in our “Little Red Flower” program. While we started these initiatives to support them, they’ve actually taught me so much about resilience, creativity, and finding joy despite difficult circumstances. Their strength and grace inspire me every single day and remind me why building a business with purpose matters so much.

Finally, I want to shout out to every small business owner and entrepreneur who’s ever felt like their idea was too different, too risky, or too rooted in their cultural background to succeed globally. Your stories and struggles gave me the courage to stay authentic to our roots while dreaming big. We’re all part of this incredible community of people who believe business can be a force for good, and that collective energy is what makes the impossible feel possible.

None of us succeeds alone, and I’m grateful every day for the village that helped build Auntea Jenny into what it is today.

Website: https://www.aunteajenny.us/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aunteajennyusa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Auntea-Jenny-USA

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/auntea-jenny-city-of-industry