Roger Fu pioneered the Gotcha Fresh Tea bubble tea brand in Melbourne in 2017, launching the first store in 2018. The brand combines Asian tea traditions with a Western twist, tapping into local consumer tastes.
It has grown from a single Melbourne store to more than 200 stores around the world.
But it is Fu’s engineering background that underpins the brand’s success. He applied a process-driven, technical approach to building the systems.
“My engineering foundation has been essential for transforming the bubble tea business into a scalable, systematic, and efficient franchise model,” Fu says.
Proprietary innovation, excellent quality control, and viable unit economics have been crucial to scaling the business.
Gotcha Fresh Tea’s four-step approach
1. Process design
Fu mapped out the entire operation to ensure he could maintain consistency across all stores and ensure viable unit economics.
Everything from brewing, preparation, quality control to designing counter layouts that optimise workflow came under scrutiny.
2. Equipment design
Fu used engineering principles when collaborating with suppliers to design and improve machines that increase efficiency and consistency.
Innovations that improved operational performance included Gotcha’s signature brewing and quick-shake machine which cools a hot brew in half a second, automated tea brewing systems and customised cheese-foam cups and tools.
3. Product development
The founder took a strategic approach to product development to meet younger bubble tea consumers’ demand for regular innovation.
To reduce the operational burden on franchise partners and minimise the need to frequently purchase new ingredients or manage excess stock during new product launches, ingredients feature in multiple drinks.
4. Logistics and supply chain
In addition to his engineering background, Fu had experience in import and manufacturing. This proved invaluable when building reliable sourcing, developing efficient international and domestic logistics and ensuring stable product quality.
“A bubble tea franchise is like a high-performance machine, every part of the system must work smoothly, from sourcing raw materials to logistics, operations, and customer experience,” Roger says. “My engineering background helped me build these systems.”
