Simu Liu calls out bubble tea brand for cultural appropriation: Why its apology missed mark

Canadian bubble tea company Bobba has released a statement following a recent cultural appropriation controversy it was involved in.

The brand recently appeared on TV show Dragon's Den where it pitched to a panel of investors. During its pitch for CA$1 million, the owners Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette said Bobba aims to "disturb" the bubble tea market with a bottled version of the drink, describing it as a "trendy sugary drink that you queue up for, and you are never quite sure about its content." 

Fiset and Frenette then called their product a healthier version of bubble tea. Actor Simu Liu, who appeared on the show as a guest investor, took issue with how Bobba qualified "disturbing" the market with their product, calling it "cultural appropriation". 

“There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and ‘making it better,’ which I have an issue with,” said Liu. 

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When Liu later asked if there is any Asian representation within their staff, Frenette and Fiset said the company’s “best partner” is based in Taiwan and creates their recipes. According to the company’s website, the flavours are “crafted” in Canada, while their pearls are “from our exclusive producer in Taiwan.” Liu ultimately opted not to invest in the product, saying, “I want to be a part of bringing boba to the masses but not like this.”

The exchange spurred backlash, prompting Liu, Bobba founders and Dragons’ Den investor Manjit Minhas, who initially invested in the product on the show, to release statements and call for an end to the threats and harassment Frenette and Fiset have since received online.

In its six-picture long statement on TikTok and Instagram, Bobba said it was never its intention to cause harm or disrespect the community that created and popularised bubble tea. It then attempted to explain that English is their second language and that its choice of words were "misguided". 

"We fully understand the backlash over our feature on Dragon's Den based on what people saw on TV. When we said, "you're never quite sure about its content", we were not referring to the traditional bubble tea formula found in specialised shops, nor were we criticising it. We can appreciate that this wasn't communicated effectively in the episode as English is our second language," said Bobba. 

"Regarding the cultural significance and origins of bubble tea, we know our choice of words was misguided and understand people's reactions. Our choice of words was wrong when trying to explain our point and for that we are extremely sorry. We never claimed that boba is new. At no point did we mean to insinuate that our Bobba bubble tea is better than traditional bubble tea in any way," it added. 

Following the incident, Bobba explained that it will re-evaluate its branding, packaging and marketing strategies to ensure that it reflects a respectful and accurate representation of its Taiwanese partnership and bubble tea's cultural roots. It also called out internet users for the backlash that ensued following the release of the episode. 

"We understand that actions speak louder than words, and as such, are committed to taking these necessary steps to ensure our future decisions reflect our values and the deep level or respect we have for Taiwanese culture. This has beena valuable learning experience for all of us and we understand people's negative reactions, but we feel the hate speech and death threats are absolutely uncalled for and need to stop,' said the statement. 

In conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Joey Gan, country lead, PRecious Communications, Malaysia said it's not unusual in the food industry to take inspiration from other cultures and create fusion dishes. However, she pointed out that Bobba's language is where the brand had gone wrong. 

"Saying things such as 'make better' or 'improve' can feel dismissive or even condescending toward the cultural significance of the original product. When someone as influential as Liu speaks out, it adds emotional weight and can really intensify public reactions," said Gan, adding: 

"Their apology also missed the mark, as it felt more like they were justifying their actions rather than reflecting on what went wrong."

Similarly, Charu Srivastava, co-founder and chief strategy officer at TriOn and Co said Bobba's statement reads well but lacks authenticity and genuineness. "It has the right words but lacks the emotions. One thing that stood out was that the company never apologised to Liu who pointed out the issues that they were supposed to be apologising for. It feels like it was written because it had to be done," said Srivastava. 

She added that the statement was too long and came off as a ramble. This made the statement seem as if it was written by ChatGPT, said Srivastava. 

A better approach

According to Srivastava, an apology needs to be genuine. "It needs to have an element of vulnerability - why apologise if nothing is amiss? The missing element in the apology is acknowledging Liu’s points more specifically," said Srivastava. Following which, a good apology also has to be concise and requires a human touch. 

"A good apology needs to be concise. The more you ramble, the more it seems like you are trying to beat around the bush. It also raises doubts on your intentions."

"A good apology needs a human touch. Who delivers the apology and how it is communicated makes a big difference. It would have been a much better effort if the Bobba founders had released a video apology on TikTok - it would have added credibility and TikTok is a visual medium," explained Srivastava. 

Meanwhile, Gan said that a statement addressing its inspiration would be a better approach. 

"A better approach could’ve been something such as, ‘the bubble tea has inspired us to create popping boba, adding a fun twist to an already beloved drink.' That way, they could innovate without disrespecting the original," explained Gan. 

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