A Quebec company has apologized following an appearance on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, during which celebrity judge Simu Liu expressed concerns that the brand was culturally appropriating a Taiwanese beverage.
The company, Bobba, sells a bottled version of boba tea, or bubble tea, which is typically made of cold tea and chewy tapioca pearls. It originated in Taiwan during the 1980s before becoming popular in North America.
Quebec City entrepreneurs Sebastian Fiset and Jessica Frenette appeared on the show on Thursday seeking a $1 million investment in exchange for 18 per cent of their business, pitching their version of the popular drink as a “convenient and healthier ready-to-drink experience.”
They touted their brand’s popping boba pearls and an alcoholic version of the beverage.
Liu, a Chinese Canadian actor and investor, said he was concerned about “this idea of disrupting or disturbing bubble tea,” adding that it was a matter of cultural appropriation, which is when a majority adopts the customs or culture of a minority in a way that can be perceived as inappropriate or insensitive.
“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,” he said.
“I want to be apart of bringing boba to the masses, but not like this.” Liu did not invest in the company.
Fiset said the company works closely with a supplier and recipe developer in Taiwan but also said, because of bubble tea’s mainstream popularity, that it’s “not an [ethnic] product anymore.”
Clips from the reality TV episode went viral on social media, with some users attacking Fiset and Frenette for the appearance. The company took to Instagram on Monday to apologize, saying it never intended to “harm or disrespect the community that created and popularized this beloved drink.”
“At no point did we mean to insinuate that our Bobba bubble tea is better than traditional bubble tea in any way,” the statement read.
One marketing expert says that, in the age of swift social media backlash, the company might have to change its branding to recover.
“I think on a mass-audience perspective, it’s for sure going to impact their brand image. I think apologizing is a good start and acknowledging the issue is a good start,” said Aleena Muzhar Kuzma, a branding expert in Whitby, Ont., and a senior vice-president, managing director and partner at the marketing agency Fuse Create.
But, she said, the company has some work to do amid the fallout — which included Dragons’ Den investor Manjit Minhas announcing that she has pulled her investment in Bobba in response to the criticism.
A company in Bobba’s position, Kuzma says, should: “Be clear on how you are not appropriating Asian culture and you’re actually respecting it and potentially have advisers from the community.”
Kuzma says that, as the entrepreneurs spoke about the brand on the show, “there was a lack of declaration on what actually makes boba or bubble tea special and why it’s a huge industry right now.”
Long considered a Taiwanese staple, bubble tea emerged from Taiwan’s local tea shops before spreading elsewhere across Asia. It became especially prevalent in North America during the 2010s when tea brands saw a resurgence in popularity. The bubble tea industry in the U.S. was valued at $2.4 billion in 2024 by market research firm IBISWorld.
“I think that that brand story needs to tie back to heritage and culture and where this product actually came from in a more authentic way,” she said.
In its apology, Bobba alleged that it had been subjected to hate speech and that its founders were receiving death threats as part of the backlash. CBC News has not been able to independently verify the allegations.
The company did not return calls for further comment.
In a statement, CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson said Bobba’s segment on Dragons’ Den “sparked an important conversation but unfortunately a lot of online bullying of show participants at the same time.”
“Many people have shared their thoughts and opinions in a respectful manner but we certainly do not condone the hurtful comments made by others. We support the calls for this harassment to stop immediately.”