Boba tea brand in chaos after Simu Liu’s ‘cultural appropriation’ criticism sparks TikTok firestorm

A recent episode of Canada’s Dragons’ Den sent the internet into a frenzy after guest Dragon Simu Liu accused a boba tea brand of cultural appropriation. The business has now lost its $1m investment from Dragon Manjit Minhas, who decided to pull out amid continued backlash against the company founders.

TikTok users have been up in arms over the events of last Thursday’s episode, criticizing Bobba owners Sébastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette as well as the panel of Dragons who minimized Liu’s original concerns.

During the October 10 episode, Fiset and Frenette, both from Québec City, asked for a $1m investment from one of the Dragons for an 18 percent stake in their company. According to Fiset and Frenette, Bobba offers “unique” ready-to-drink bubble tea with “popping boba.”

Bubble tea typically combines flavorful milk or regular tea with chewy tapioca balls for an added layer of sweetness. In their pitch, Fiset and Frenette defined bubble tea as “that trendy sugary drink that you queue up for and you’re never quite sure about its content.”

Liu interjected to say: “Hang on, hang on. I’m quite sure about its content, but continue.”

The two entrepreneurs declared “those days” of bubble tea were “over” as Bobba has now “disturbed” the market and “transformed this beloved beverage into a convenient and healthier ready-to-drink experience” with “high-quality tea, fruit juice, and our famous popping boba.”

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According to Britannica, bubble tea originated in T’ai-nan, Taiwan, in the 1980s. However, variations of the drink have since popped up throughout East Asia with fresh flavors like matcha green tea and taro tea.

“I’m concerned about this idea of ‘disrupting’ or ‘disturbing’ bubble tea,” Liu said in response to the pitch.

However, Minhas asked, “Why?” cutting Liu off. “There can be new takes on things,” she added.

“Sure,” said Liu. “But I’m looking at-”

“Not everything has to be traditional,” said Minhas.

“Then there’s also the issue of cultural appropriation,” Liu continued. “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and quote unquote ‘making it better,’ which I have an issue with.”

Fiset tried to argue that bubble tea would no longer be an “ethnical (sic) product” if they added their popping boba, fruit, and juice but Liu was not convinced about its originality.

“I am studying your can, and I am looking for anything that tells me where boba came from, and where boba came from is Taiwan,” the Canadian actor, who was born in Harbin, China, said. “I started this venture company [Markham Valley Ventures] for a lot of reasons, but really primarily to uplift minority entrepreneurs.

“And 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.”

Minhas, along with Michele Romanow and Arlene Dickinson, disagreed with Liu’s apprehensions, making offers to Fiset and Frenette. In the end, Bobba accepted Minhas’s $1m investment.

Upon Bobba’s exit, Liu pointed out more problems with the company’s model, arguing the raccoon drinking boba on their packaging was “sad” and the two partners didn’t seem to open to change.

“They didn’t say no. The collaboration that they’ve had to this point is with their supplier in Taiwan,” Minhas disagreed. “And if nobody else has told them that before, you can’t put that all on them.”

Immediately after the episode aired, viewers aired their frustrations with Bobba and the subsequent dismissal of Liu’s argument that the product could be considered cultural appropriation.

“That is literally the same container of popping bobas at the Asian grocery store with a different marketing sticker,” commented TikTok user golf Catty.

“‘Never quite sure about its content’ was a microaggression,” a second person quipped.

“I’m so glad Simu was on this panel because my god,” a third added.

A fourth person directed their anger at Minhas, writing: “I find it really disappointing to see someone who is literally Asian — Manjit — to see her investing in a company that’s very obviously profiting off of a minority culture, and to see her be so dismissive of Simu every time he makes a very reasonable point, in my opinion.”

As more people chimed in, slamming Bobba and the other Dragons online, Liu issued a statement via the official Dragons’ Den Instagram page. In the lengthy message, the Jackpot! star stuck to his original thoughts but said the Bobba founders didn’t deserve any “negative ill will.”

“It is a learning moment and a lesson that they have surely already understood,” he added. “If we cannot engage in thoughtful and compassionate dialogue nothing will change.”

On TikTok, Liu defended the other Dragons, saying they were more receptive to his argument off-camera. “Let’s make the world a better place, let’s make people aware that, you know, certain things aren’t okay from a cultural perspective,” he said.

Following Liu’s TikTok, Minhas spoke on Instagram, revealing she has rescinded her investment offer in Bobba.

“After more reflection, due diligence and listening to many of your opinions I will not be investing in Bobba Tea,” she wrote. “Having said that I had to turn off commenting on my platforms as it is never OK to send hate and threatening messages to the entrepreneurs.

“I believe wholeheartedly, our cultures are meant to be shared, and this includes food, drink, clothing, dance, languages and weddings. Those of us like Simu and I who have platforms to do so always try to use these platforms to educate and enjoy and explore all cultures.

“It is Cha or Chai depending on where you’re from not Chai Tea, it is Naan, not naan bread. Sharing cultures increases understanding and brings peace on earth, something our planet could use,” she concluded.

Bobba posted their official response on October 13, clarifying a few of the statements made on the show. The company apologized for the “harm” they caused by their “words and actions.”

They shared in a statement: “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.”

Bobba went on to praise Liu’s “valid points regarding cultural appropriation” and explained that the line “You’re never quite sure about its contents,” wasn’t intended to be a criticism of the traditional drink and blamed the miscommunications on English being their second language.

Fiset and Frenette claimed their comment was about other ready-to-drink beverages, not the ones made in bubble tea shops. What’s more, the creators explained what they meant by Bobba being a “healthier” option.

“In this version, we’ve removed all artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives, while maintaining a lower sugar content,” they wrote. “We never claimed that boba is new; what we explained during the show is that we have produced a different way to package it with a ready-to-drink glass bottle that minimizes the environmental impact.

“Our Taiwanese partners were heavily involved in the research and development of this product, which we believe helped us achieve such early success.

“At no point did we mean to insinuate that our Bobba bubble tea is better than traditional bubble tea in any way.”

The company concluded its statement by emphasizing its commitment to learning about cultural appropriation and its respect for Taiwanese culture.

The Independent has contacted Bobba for additional comment.