MVHS alumna Olivia Chen frequented places such as Bobatino and Fantasia Coffee and Tea when bubble tea first started to become popular in America around the 90’s. She recalled how those places were a big part of her inspiration for creating her own boba milk tea company. She is now the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Twrl Milk Tea alongside co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Pauline Ang. The pair started the Bay Area-based small business online in February of 2021, selling their milk tea cans and instant boba topping packets and making it into retail stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts in July of 2021.
Before founding Twrl, Chen worked in public relations, where she helped emerging authors market their books by planning events and coordinating press releases. Chen found that working directly with consumers allowed her to hone her skills in creating content for social media. She adds that with Twrl, she has more freedom and flexibility to engage with customers.
After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, Chen met Ang at Plum Tree Software, where they both worked on a marketing team. The pair quickly bonded over a shared love for food, and for 15 years they considered starting an Asian snack company — an idea that was postponed due to motherhood and career obligations. However, during the pandemic, with more free time, Ang proposed Twrl Milk Tea with a focus on a low carbon footprint and being accessible to a broader audience. According to twrlmilktea.com, the products are a “regenerative plant-based milk made from pea protein that enhances the soil it grows in,” allowing for 85% less water consumption and a composition low in sugar.
“Pauline is a vegetarian, so she started concocting all different types of drinks,” Chen said. “And then she was like, ‘Olivia, I found a formulation. I think it might work.’ And then she made more iterations. We are very focused on sustainability, so kind of the idea of moving to an aluminum can and having something that’s grab and go from the home. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, allergen-free, unless you’re allergic to peas, but pretty much anyone can drink it.”
Chen’s son, Palo Alto High School senior Julian Hong, helps promote Twrl to friends and peers on his volleyball team. Hong recalls running product demonstrations by hosting samplings at major grocery stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts, tasting new flavors and moving inventory. Hong says he enjoys helping the company in these ways, especially seeing the pride his mother gets from running Twrl. Even though the startup has made it harder for him to spend time with her, Hong believes that he has benefitted from the soft skills the “job” has to offer in terms of improving his communication skills.
“I saw how stressful running a business can be, especially as a female founder, and I really wanted to pitch in and support her in any way I could,” Hong said. “I volunteered myself, and then she directed me to places that could be a service. I know at Whole Foods, I had a whole conversation with this dude about how he was a Georgetown basketball fan. I watched Georgetown basketball, too, and he ended up buying three cans from us, just because it was a really good conversation. I gained more self-confidence, just being able to connect with a lot of people in different ways.”
Hong hopes to see more Asian-owned businesses and Asian-inspired foods in the United States to expose more people to the rich culture. Moreover, the mother-son duo believe that this business has connected them with their Asian American heritage and has given them a platform to share that with others. Chen notes that, as many consumers of the product might not be as familiar with their Taiwanese cultural background, promoting Twrl’s products allows them to spread that knowledge. Furthermore, the company aims to uplift other groups. One such example is through two collaborations with a local women-owned restaurant in Arizona to create a special edition drink line for Asian American Heritage Month in March and Women’s History Month in May.
“There is a rise in ethnic founders — Asian Americans, Latinas and African Americans,” Chen said. “These are people who are pulling from their cultural heritage and their products really reflect what we would want to find in our pantries and our fridges. It’s brought us a little closer as a family as well, because there’s a whole centering about, ‘Boba is from Taiwan.’ Being able to celebrate that I’m Taiwanese-American with my family and being able to have a lot of our production in Taiwan has given us all a real strong sense of pride, being able to support our country in that way.”
Twrl’s journey took an unexpected turn when actor Simu Liu served as a guest judge on Dragon’s Den, a Canadian show where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a group of investors to seek support. During the episode, Liu publicly criticized a non-Asian-owned boba company seeking $1 million in exchange for 18% equity, pointing out the absence of Taiwanese or Chinese individuals on their founding or investment team, despite profiting off a culturally Asian product.
The moment struck a chord with Chen, who saw the viral clip. Unsure at first whether to respond, she eventually created her first TikTok stitch with guidance from her marketing manager Joanna and introduced herself directly to Liu, explaining Twrl’s mission as an Asian-founded, woman-owned milk tea brand that honors the cultural roots of boba. The video quickly gained traction, sparking widespread media attention. Within weeks, Twrl was featured on NBC and ABC Bay Area, picked up by the Associated Press, and covered by national publications like Food & Wine and Bon Appétit.
With the brand of Twrl Milk Tea being more widespread and featured on popular platforms, Chen hopes to see Twrl in pantries and fridges as an “everyday staple,” so more people associate milk tea with Twrl. She adds that this vision serves homage to her heritage as the first brand to bring ube teas to places like Whole Foods and Sprouts. Along with this, Chen hopes her story as a single parent and business founder inspires others.
“My goal would be to inspire others to think that they don’t have to have all the answers,” Chen said. “At the end of your high school career, this is literally just the beginning for all of you, and I hope you can be inspired to think that there are a lot of different careers out there. At the end of the day, it’s about finding joy in what you’re doing and having an impact on the world.”
