Boba tea company apologises over Canada Dragon’s Den row

A Canadian boba tea company has apologised after Marvel actor Simu Liu accused them of cultural appropriation on an episode of a Shark Tank-style reality TV series.

On an episode of CBC’s Dragon’s Den, the owners of a Quebec bubble tea brand called Bobba pitched their drink to potential investors, including Liu, arguing that they were “disturbing” the popular bubble tea market by using only three simple ingredients to “transform” the beverage into a “convenient and healthier” experience.

Liu pushed back against the entrepreneurs, accusing them of appropriating the Taiwanese drink, known as boba or bubble tea, which has became popular around the world.

“I’m concerned about this idea of disrupting or disturbing bubble tea”, Liu said as a guest on the star show.

“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,” he added.

The Canadian-Chinese actor also pressed the business owners, Sebastien Fiset and Jess Frenette, about whether they had members of staff who understood the cultural significance of the “very Asian drink”, which is made with tapioca balls.

Mr Fiset responded that their “best partner” was in Taiwan – “they make all the recipes, all the boba”.

The episode quickly blew up on social media, where users attacked the Bobba owners.

The owners responded by issuing an apology on social media on Monday, saying they were sorry for the harm they caused “with our words and actions on the show”.

“Simu Liu raised very valid points regarding cultural appropriation and we welcome this learning opportunity,” the business owners said.

They added that they would be re-evaluating their branding, packaging and marketing strategies to “ensure that they reflect a respectful and accurate representation of our Taiwanese partnership and bubble tea’s cultural roots”.

Earlier Liu took to social media as well to try to de-escalate the conflict, arguing that the pair came on the show “in good faith”.

He said he ultimately decided not to contribute to the $1m (£765,000) investment Mr Fiset and Ms Frenette were seeking for an 18% stake in their company because of the issues he pointed out with their product.

“That doesn’t mean that I believe that they deserve harassment,” Liu said in the social media video.

Another judge on the show, Manjit Minhas, had agreed to invest in Bobba, arguing that “there can be new takes on things… Not everything has to be traditional,” when first hearing Liu’s criticism of the Canadian duo’s pitch on the show.

But following the social media storm the show created, she changed her mind, saying on Sunday: “After more reflection, due diligence and listening to many of your opinions, I will not be investing in Bobba Tea.”

In a video posted to her Instagram account, she added that she’d had to turn off comments on her social media platforms due to abuse received since the show.

“It is never OK to send hate and threatening messages to the entrepreneurs,” she said.