In a showdown juicier than a Popping Bobba pearl, a Canadian bubble tea brand found itself in hot water after locking horns with none other than Marvel star Simu Liu during an episode of CBC’s “Dragons’ Den.” What started as a routine pitch soon became spicier than wasabi bubble tea (note: not a real flavor, thankfully).
Here’s the bubble tea… er, tea on what went down.
Pitch Perfect? Not Exactly.
Our tale begins with Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette, the founders of Quebec-based bubble tea company Bobba (yep, with two B’s—because why not). They swaggered onto the “Dragons’ Den” set, hoping to walk away with some cold, hard cash to expand their brand.
Enter Simu Liu, actor, investor, and unintentional slayer of cringy branding. Liu, an invited guest star, listened intently as the duo described bubble tea as a “trendy, sugary drink” with mysterious ingredients. Frenette even added, “People aren’t really sure what’s in it.”
That’s when Liu hit the pause button like your Wi-Fi cutting out mid-Netflix binge. “Uhh… I know what’s in bubble tea, but go on,” he interjected, clearly unimpressed. And you could almost hear the tapioca pearls nervously shifting in their packaging.
The “Revolutionary” Spin That Wasn’t
The Bobba bros pressed forward, pitching their product as a “healthier, ready-to-drink” twist on the OG Taiwanese drink, powered by just three simple ingredients: tea, fruit juice, and their pièce de résistance—Popping Bobba pearls filled with juice.
“We’re here to disturb the bubble tea market!” Fiset announced proudly.
Liu raised a skeptical eyebrow, as if to say, “Disturb? Really? Like a toddler in a movie theater?” And then came the kicker.
“There’s a problem when you take something so culturally Asian and try to ‘make it better,’” Liu said, slapping down a cultural appropriation card harder than a Wild Draw Four in Uno.
Do You Even Taiwan, Bro?
Sensing things weren’t going exactly as planned, Frenette and Fiset tried to dig their way out of the awkwardness by assuring Liu that their “best partner” was based in Taiwan, the sacred land of bubble tea.
“That’s cute,” Liu probably thought, “but does your partner know you’re out here rebranding their national treasure?”
When Liu asked if anyone Asian worked at their company, the room fell quieter than a library on a snow day. It turned out the only direct Taiwanese connection was the pearls, shipped from overseas like exotic jewels, while the flavors were “crafted” in the heart of… Canada.
Thanks, But No Thanks, Said Simu
Liu made it crystal clear that he didn’t want to stir his investments with appropriation.
“I want to help bring bubble tea to the world,” Liu explained. “Just not like… this.”
He also dropped some wisdom: “I started this venture to lift up minority entrepreneurs. And right now, what I see here is more of a ‘creative remix’ of something meaningful to my heritage.” Translation? “This ain’t it, chief.”
He gracefully stepped away from the deal faster than you can say, “Extra tapioca, please.”
Drama Overfloweth: The Aftermath
The pitch set off an online tsunami, with people flinging opinions around like tapioca pearls in a food fight. Things got ugly fast, forcing both Simu Liu and the Bobba boys to post “Hey, let’s all be nice” messages online. Even “Dragons’ Den” had to step in, asking viewers to keep the drama offline and out of the inboxes.
Meanwhile, Fiset and Frenette issued a “sorry-we-messed-up” apology, admitting they might have flubbed the whole cultural heritage thing. They promised to rethink their branding strategy, hopefully trading in words like “disrupt” for something closer to “respectful partnership.”
Investor Manjit Minhas, who originally offered the duo $1 million for an 18% stake, later hit the brakes harder than a skateboarder spotting a pothole. After “further reflection,” she decided this wasn’t the kind of beverage adventure she wanted in her portfolio.
Lessons from the Bobba Bubble Burst
It’s safe to say this episode of “Dragons’ Den” will go down in history as the most awkward cultural reckoning ever to involve fruit juice-filled pearls. The moral of the story? If you’re going to reinvent a beloved cultural staple, maybe don’t describe it like a sugary mystery drink—and definitely don’t tell a Marvel hero you’re here to “disrupt” it.
“Dragons’ Den,” now in its 19th season, is itself based on a Japanese show. So let that irony sink in: the Canadian remake of a Japanese show sparked a cultural debate about Taiwanese tea… in English.
And that’s how you spill the tea.
@cbcgem This bottled bubble tea business pitches to celebrity Dragon Simu Liu and the rest of the Dragons (📺: Dragons' Den) #dragonsden #simuliu ♬ original sound – CBC Gem
