(Yicai) April 2 -- The Chinese branch of US coffee chain giant Starbucks has released new drinks and merchandise themed on classic fairy tale Alice in Wonderland in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company.

From today, Starbucks China’s customers can order three new oatmeal milk lattes named after characters from Alice in Wonderland, priced at between CNY38 and CNY44 (USD5.25 and USD6.10), as well as order collaboration merchandise, including kites, picnic mats, and canvas bags.

The collaboration between Starbucks and Disney can enhance the former’s brand awareness and recognition and make its items more interesting and collectible, boosting consumers’ purchasing desire and brand loyalty, an industry insider said.

This type of collaboration between Chinese coffee brands and famous firms has been very popular in recent years. Last September, Luckin Coffee and well-known distiller Kweichow Moutai jointly launched a baijiu-flavored latte that sold 45.8 million cups, achieving sales revenue of CNY900 million (USD124.4 million), according to the Chinese coffee chain’s annual report.

Thanks to the collaboration, Luckin Coffee’s revenue jumped 87 percent to CNY24.9 billion (USD3.4 billion) last year from the previous one, surpassing Starbucks China for the first time. Starbucks China logged revenue of USD3 billion in the fiscal year ended Oct. 1, up 11 percent from a year earlier.

China’s coffee market has experienced exponential growth in the past years thanks to the emergence of many domestic brands. Last year, the number of branded coffee stores in China rose 58 percent to 49,691, helping the country surpass the US to become the world’s largest market for branded coffee stores, according to statistics from research institute World Coffee Portal.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione