Actor Simu Liu blasted a pair of Quebec entrepreneurs last week who went on Canada’s version of “Shark Tank” to pitch a drink they say has “transformed” boba tea.
Sébastien Fiset and Jess Frenette, founders of a bottled popping boba and alcoholic bubble tea brand called Bobba, were seeking $1 million in exchange for 18% of the company.
The company’s product, featured on the latest episode of CBC’s “Dragons’ Den,” raised concerns online about culturally appropriating the traditionally Taiwanese drink, known as boba or bubble tea, that has become popular around the world.
The brand’s presentation sparked backlash from people who pointed out that traditional foods are often commercialized by people who overlook their cultural significance.
Fiset claimed they had “transformed this beloved beverage into a convenient, healthier, ready-to-drink experience,” listing only three ingredients: high-quality tea, fruit juice and Bobba’s “famous” bobbing boba. Their products include cans of alcoholic bubble tea, as well as grab-and-go packets of popping boba.
“We think that this company can be worth $1 billion in the next five years, because it’s so unique,” Fiset said. He said the company just ended its second year with $4.6 million in revenue and expects to make $7 million this year.
After he took a sip from a bottle, Liu, who joined the show as a guest Dragon on Thursday, said he thought it tasted “fine” but that he was concerned about “this idea of ‘disrupting’ or ‘disturbing’ bubble tea.” He mentioned the possibility of cultural appropriation, saying he takes issue with the concept of “taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and, quote unquote, making it better.”
Clips of the “Dragons’ Den” episode gained traction online over the weekend, with many viewers backing Liu and criticizing Bobba, as well as the other Dragons — several of whom brushed off Liu’s concerns and offered to invest in Bobba — for potentially facilitating cultural appropriation.
In response to the discourse, Liu shared a TikTok video Saturday saying that while he appreciates the support he has received online, he also condemns the harassment and death threats internet users have been directing at Bobba’s founders.
“I think we’re starting to lose the plot,” Liu said, “which is: Let’s educate people. Let’s make the world a better place. Let’s make people aware that certain things aren’t OK from a cultural perspective.”
He added that although his fellow Dragons have also been receiving some criticism online for their seemingly dismissive attitudes on camera, they were “all ears” in the break room to hear more of Liu’s perspective.
Liu, a Chinese Canadian actor known for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Barbie,” appeared unimpressed as soon as Fiset and Frenette began their pitch.
“Dragons, you have probably heard about bubble tea,” Frenette said before Liu quickly interjected with a sarcastic: “I’ve never, has anyone else heard of bubble tea? What is bubble tea? I’ve never heard of this thing before in my life.”
The entrepreneurs went on to describe bubble tea as “that trendy, sugary drink you are queuing up for and you are never quite sure about its content” and said “those days are over with Bobba” — prompting Liu to again interrupt: “Hang on, hang on, I’m quite sure about its content. But continue.”
Liu’s comments about cultural appropriation spurred some disagreement and laughter from his fellow Dragons, some of whom called him out for starting the segment on a “heavy” note. Investor Manjit Minhas defended the Bobba founders, saying: “There can be new takes on things. Not everything has to be traditional.”
Fiset responded by saying Bobba’s popping boba makes the drink “not an ethnical product anymore.” Minhas agreed that the popping boba was new, saying she’d never experienced it.
Bobba, according to Fiset, “took the version, the Asian version, and we made it with fruit, with juice.” But popping boba, a type of topping that bursts with fruit juice when it’s squeezed, has already been a popular choice on traditional Asian bubble tea menus for years — even if boba is often associated with squishy tapioca pearls.
Responding to Liu’s further questions about what respect the brand is paying to “this very Asian drink,” the Bobba founders said the company works closely with a partner in Taiwan that manufactures the recipes and boba.
“That’s the best part, that’s the cultural part of our product,” Fiset added.
One Dragon, Brian Scudamore, also questioned whether it was a good or bad decision to call the boba tea company “Bobba,” pronounced the same as “boba,” the general moniker for the Taiwanese drink.
“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,” said Liu, who is a general partner of the venture capital fund Markham Valley Ventures. “You know, I started this venture company 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,” he added. “I want to be a part of bringing boba to the masses, but not like this. So for that reason, I’m out.”
Fiset and Frenette ultimately accepted Minhas’ investment offer, which fulfilled their initial request of $1 million for 18% of Bobba.
Representatives for Bobba and “Dragons’ Den” didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
In his video response Saturday, Liu, who has been at the center of several online controversies in the past, urged his supporters to remember that bullying and harassment are “never OK.” He said he knows what it’s like to be on the other side of the internet’s wrath.
“Let’s critique each other. Let’s critique this idea of cultural appropriation. Let’s talk about it,” Liu said. “But what we’re not going to do is threaten people’s physical safety and make people feel unsafe and cause them trauma that, quite honestly, they don’t deserve as entrepreneurs who, in good faith, attempted to pitch a business.”