A boba tea company apologized after Simu Liu called them out for cultural appropriation on his Canadian reality series Dragons’ Den.
During a recent episode of Dragons’ Den, which is a Canadian version of Shark Tank, Bobba drink creators Sebastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette faced backlash after pitching their product to Liu, 35, and a panel of other investors.
After the business partners introduced their bubble tea beverage on the show, investor Manjit Minhas made a seven-figure investment, which she has since walked back. Liu, meanwhile, questioned whether the idea was appropriating Asian culture.
Liu wasn’t thrilled when Frenette referred to boba tea as a “trendy sugary drink” that people are “not quite sure about” its content.
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“Hang on, I’m quite sure about its content, but continue,” he noted. “People have tried to bottle it up [in the past] but it’s very difficult to maintain the flavor. I thought [the taste] was fine, but I’m concerned about this idea of disturbing bubble tea because it’s something that’s very near [to my heart].”
Liu went on to refer to it as “an issue of cultural appropriation,” adding, “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and ‘Making it better.’”
“First and foremost, we want to deeply apologize for the harm we have caused by our words and actions on the show,” read their Instagram statement on Monday, October 14. “While it was never our intention to cause harm or disrespect the community that created and popularized this beloved drink, we take full responsibility for the impact of our actions.”
Fiset and Frenette specifically addressed Liu, adding, “Additionally, Simu Liu raised very valid points regarding cultural appropriation and we welcome this learning opportunity. We fully understand the backlash over our feature on Dragons’ Den based on what people saw on TV.”
Fiset and Frenette’s statement clarified their comments. “When we said, ‘You’re never quite sure about its contents,’ we were not referring to the traditional bubble tea formula found in specialized shops, nor were we criticizing it. We can appreciate that this wasn’t communicated effectively in the episode as English is our second language. What we were comparing it to is the other ready-to-drink products like ours found in big box stores.”
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They continued: “On the show, we were presenting our newest Boba formula, which hasn’t been released everywhere yet. In this version, we’ve removed all artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives, while maintaining a lower sugar content. This is what we were referring to when we mentioned a ‘healthier’ option on the show.”
After the participants received backlash on social media, Liu came to their defense.
“Let’s disagree with each other. Let’s critique each other. Let’s critique this idea of cultural appropriation. Let’s talk about it,” he said via TikTok on Monday. “But you know, 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.”
