A bubble tea brand has apologized after a fiery conversation with Simu Liu on Dragons’ Den.
During an Oct. 10 episode of the Shark Tank-style series based in Canada, Liu raised concerns about Bobba’s mission. Liu has a venture capital company created “primarily to uplift minority entrepreneurs,” he said on Dragons’ Den. He has invested in companies like dumpling brand MìLà, where he also serves as chief content officer.
Bobba’s members Sébastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette asked the “dragons” (the show’s panel of investors) for $1 million for 18% of their company. From the start of the pitch, there was some tension between Liu and the Bobba team.
“Dragons, you have probably heard about bubble tea,” Frenette began. Liu quickly replied, “Has anyone else heard of bubble tea? I’ve never heard of this thing before in my life.”
“Simu was drinking bubble tea this morning!” added dragon Michelle Romanow.
Frenette continued, calling bubble tea, “that trendy, sugary drink you are queueing up for and you are never quite sure about its content.” Fiset added: “Those days are over with Bobba.”
“Hang on, I’m quite sure about its content but continue,” said Liu.
Fiset described Bobba as transforming the “beloved beverage” into a “convenient and healthier, ready-to-drink experience.” While Liu looked skeptical at their wording, the rest of the dragons enthusiastically sipped on the samples and complimented the taste.
“People have tried to bottle it up. It’s very difficult to maintain the flavor,” Liu said to one of the dragons, who then asked him if he enjoyed the drink. Liu replied that it was fine. “I’m concerned about this idea of disrupting or disturbing bubble tea because it’s something —” he added.
“Why? There can be new takes on things. Not everything has to be traditional,” Manjit Minhas replied.
“There’s also an issue with cultural appropriation,” Liu said. “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and ‘making it better’ which I have an issue with.”
The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star continued, “What respect is being paid to this very Asian drink that has blown up around the world? Is it in your teas? Is it in your product development? Who is on your staff? Who is on your cap table that is providing that for you?”
Fiset told the host that their “best partner is in Taiwan. They make all the recipes, all the boba.” He said that they created Bobba because he had realized popping boba was “rising everywhere in the world so I was like, ‘I need to come out with something.’”
“I’m studying your can and I am looking for anything that tells me where boba came from and where boba came from is Taiwan,” Liu said. “Not only do I feel like this is not happening here, but that I would be uplifting a business that is profiting off of something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage. I want to be a part of bringing boba to the masses, but not like this.”
While half of the group, including Liu, passed on investing, three dragons were on board and Minhas ended up agreeing to invest in the product by the end of the episode.
Since the segment aired, the scene has gone viral and many TikTokers side with Liu. “Simu was 100% spot on!” reads one comment. Writes another: “The other judges owe simu an apology for being so dismissive of his very real concerns.” There are more than 23,000 comments on the video posted of the pitch.
On Oct. 13, Minhas shared a video on Instagram where she explained that “cultures are meant to be shared” but “after more reflection, due diligence and listening to many of your opinions I will not be investing in Bobba Tea.” She also emphasized that it is “never OK” to send hateful messages to the Bobba entrepreneurs.
Liu also posted a video on TikTok on Oct. 12 reemphasizing his points of cultural appropriation and reiterating the importance of being kind to the Bobba founders. “It’s never okay to make threats. It’s never okay to bully or harass online,” he said.
Bobba’s Instagram page posted a statement on Oct. 14 and apologized for the controversial business pitch. The six-part post apologized “for the harm we have caused by our words and actions on the show. While it was never our intention to cause harm or disrespect the community that created and popularized this beloved drink, we take full responsibility for the impact of our actions.”
The post promised to re-evaluate their branding to “reflect a respectful and accurate representation of our Taiwanese partnership and bubble tea’s cultural roots.”
Read the full article here
