Shi Sheng bubble tea — all 23 stores closed after a fake milk scandal killed trust

Shi Sheng (十盛熟成奶茶專賣店) was a Taiwan bubble tea brand founded in April 2024 by two social media influencers — '见习网美小吴' (a million-follower YouTuber) and singer-actress Ji Bu Xin. The brand marketed itself around 'Japan Hokkaido milk' (十勝乳源) and expanded explosively, opening 23 stores across Taiwan within months. The influencer founders brought massive free publicity, and the brand became one of the fastest-growing tea chains on the island.

The collapse began when customers and media discovered that the advertised 'Japan milk' was actually non-dairy creamer. The brand had used deliberately misleading labelling — calling it 'Japan Milk' while the drink contained no fresh milk at all. When challenged, the founders' response was defensive and dismissive, treating it as a minor labelling issue. Social media erupted. Fans felt betrayed by the influencers they trusted. The 'fake milk' scandal became one of the most-discussed food controversies in Taiwan in 2024.

The public relations crisis was compounded by tone-deaf responses from the founders, who addressed the issue with what critics called 'arrogance and evasion.' Instead of apologising and reformulating, they downplayed the issue and blamed vague regulatory language. The backlash intensified. Customers boycotted. Franchisees, unable to sustain traffic, began closing one by one throughout 2025.

By December 2025, the last store — in Taoyuan Zhongzheng — had closed. The brand website removed all store listings, and the official Facebook page was taken down. At its peak, Shi Sheng had 23 locations. Within 18 months of launching, it had zero. The founders claimed the brand had been 'losing money throughout its existence.' The case shows how influencer-driven brands can scale faster than their operational honesty can support.