The high brand premium of geographical indication (GI) tea has not been efficiently converted into widespread economic benefits through its supply chain. The current performance evaluation system is confronted with a dual predicament: first, the strong external environment (such as policy support and industrial agglomeration) interference is hard to isolate, making it impossible to distinguish between “environmental advantages” and “true management levels”; second, the general agricultural indicators fail to capture the output essence of GIs centered on “brand value”. Therefore, this study constructs an evaluation framework integrating methodological and indicator innovations. Methodologically, a three-stage DEA model is adopted to eliminate the influence of exogenous environments and random noises, precisely measuring the “pure management efficiency” of the supply chain. Indicatively, common variables are abandoned, and a customized system is established with logistics facilities, production area, and regional digital investment as inputs, and brand reputation, value, and income as outputs. Based on the panel data of twelve representative tea GIs from 2021 to 2024, the study finds that the following: (1) The “pure management efficiency” of the supply chain is the key factor influencing performance evaluation. (2) “Diseconomies of scale” are the main structural bottleneck restricting performance improvement rather than technological backwardness. (3) Solving the above-mentioned management efficiency problems, especially resolving “diseconomies of scale”, is the micro foundation for achieving sustainable industrial development. This research not only provides methodological support and empirical evidence for the refined management and sustainable development of the geographical indication agricultural product supply chain, but also has significant practical significance for promoting the quality and efficiency improvement of the tea industry and facilitating the sustainable development of related agriculture.
Zhao et al. (2026) studied this question.