Andrew Chau (Boba Guys) on Turning Bubble Tea Into a Cultural Movement, the Future of Cafe Culture and Strawberry Matcha

2025-12-16

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Today, Sammi sits down with Andrew Chau, co-founder of Boba Guys—the brand that helped turn boba from a niche drink into a mainstream American obsession. Andrew takes us back to the very first 2011 pop-up and the early decisions that shaped Boba Guys’ identity: choosing authenticity over gimmicks, educating customers on Asian culture without westernizing it, and designing drinks that were as aesthetic as they were meaningful. He reveals how Boba Guys became the blueprint for modern café trends—and why so many brands copy their drinks...

Today, Sammi sits down with Andrew Chau, co-founder of Boba Guys—the brand that helped turn boba from a niche drink into a mainstream American obsession.

Andrew takes us back to the very first 2011 pop-up and the early decisions that shaped Boba Guys’ identity: choosing authenticity over gimmicks, educating customers on Asian culture without westernizing it, and designing drinks that were as aesthetic as they were meaningful. He reveals how Boba Guys became the blueprint for modern café trends—and why so many brands copy their drinks without understanding the deeper consumer psychology behind them.

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Here’s what Sammi covers with Andrew:

00:00 Andrew Chau’s Social Currency

02:05 Sammi’s Personal Tie-In

03:37 The First Pop-Up

08:01 Early Branding Decisions and Being Your Favorite Marketer’s Favorite Marketer

13:51 Educating Customers on a Product vs. Educating Customers on a Culture

22:24 The Future of Cafés

31:14 Vertical Integration

35:53 Matcha, Aesthetics, and Social Signaling