The Taiwanese drink known as bubble tea is gaining popularity in the U.S., with more coffee and juice shops adding the iconic tapioca balls to their menus.
Starbucks is also joining the trend, saying it will add pearls inspired by “East Asian beverages” to some summer drinks.
In Hayward, California, America’s first boba factory is at the forefront of this trend. The U.S. Boba Company produces the chewy tapioca balls locally instead of importing them from Asia.
In the factory, the balls are flavored, mixed and rolled in a tumbler until they reach the perfect size to fit into those iconic wide straws. From there, the tapioca balls are sorted into batches, enough for 10,000 cups each.
Andrew Chau is also one half of “Boba Guys,” the national bubble tea chain he co-founded with Bin Chen over a decade ago.
“I think a lot of founders start a company as a reflection of some hidden or overt part of their identity. There was maybe a part of us that was like, can we make our culture cool or mainstream or accessible?” Chau said.