A Marvel star who accused owners of a boba tea company of ‘cultural appropriation’ during a recent episode of Dragons’ Den has defended the entrepreneurs after they were subjected to ‘death threats’.
The most recent episode of the Canadian series saw Simu Liu criticise the company Bobba and its owners Sébastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette after they sought a $1million (£557,000) investment.
The couple offered an 18 percent stake in their company, selling a ‘unique’ ready-to-drink bubble tea with ‘popping boba’.
Bubble tea is a beverage that contains tapioca balls called boba. It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s but versions of it have since been produced throughout East Asia.
In their pitch, the couple defined bubble tea as ‘that trendy sugary drink that you queue up for and you’re never quite sure about its content’.
However, guest dragon Simu made it clear he wasn’t impressed.
‘Hang on, hang on. I’m quite sure about its content but continue,’ he said.
The entrepreneurs then declared ‘those days’ of bubble tea were ‘over’ as Bobba had now ‘disturbed’ the market and transformed the beverage into a ‘convenient and healthier ready-to-drink experience’ with ‘high-quality tea, fruit juice, and our famous popping boba’.
‘I’m concerned about this idea of ‘disrupting’ or ‘disturbing’ bubble tea,’ he said.
‘Not everything has to be traditional,’ fellow dragon Manjit Minhas replied.
However, the actor continued: ‘There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and quote unquote “making it better”, which I have an issue with.’
Sébastien then tried to argue bubble tea would no longer be an ‘ethnical (sic) product’ if they added their popping boba, fruit, and juice but Simu was not convinced.
‘I am studying your can, and I am looking for anything that tells me where boba came from, and where boba came from is Taiwan,’ the Canadian actor, who was born in China, said.
Simu said he didn’t feel the business was ‘uplifting minority entrepreneurs’ and instead felt they were ‘profiting off something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage’.
‘I want to be a part of bringing boba to the masses, but not like this,’ he added.
But some of his fellow dragons didn’t agree with his sentiments, with three making offers.
They were Manjit, Michele Romanow and Arlene Dickinson, with Bobba eventually accepting a $1million investment from the first.
While reactions from viewers were mixed, following the episode Manjit revealed she had pulled her money from the company.
Posting a video on social media, she explained: ‘After more reflection, due diligence, and listening to many of your opinions I will not be investing in Bobba Tea.’
Manjit then explained how she’d disabled comments on her social media accounts after the owners were heavily criticised, adding it was ‘never OK to send hate and threatening messages to the entrepreneurs’.
In a statement posted on the show’s official Instagram account, Simu then said: ‘Just want to remind you that you can disagree and even feel vehemently angry about something, and it’s okay to be vocal about that, but it is NEVER EVER okay to harass or threaten people over the internet or in person.
‘The entrepreneurs in question came on the show and pitched a business in good faith. I disagreed with some of their decision-making. I stand by my thoughts, but I do not believe they deserve any negative ill will. It is a learning moment and a lesson that they have surely already understood.
‘If we cannot engage in thoughtful and compassionate dialogue nothing will change.’
The actor later posted a six-minute video to TikTok, saying he felt he ‘hit on a very important discussion about cultural appropriation’.
He also said he believed the owners were ‘ignorant and misguided’ but they were ‘human things’ and he was ‘asking for empathy and compassion’ towards them, stressing the business owners should not be subjected to harassment.
‘I don’t want the legacy of this segment to be pitchforks and people fearing for their safety,’ he continued.
The Bobba creators also issued an extensive apology on the business’s social media page, insisting they never intended to ‘harm or disrespect the community that created and popularised this beloved drink’.
‘Our Taiwanese partners were heavily involved in the research and development of this product, which we believe helped us achieve such early success,’ they wrote.
‘At no point did we mean to insinuate that our Bobba bubble tea is better than traditional bubble tea in any way.’
They explained how their product pitch ‘wasn’t communicated effectively in the episode as English is our second language’.
They concluded by sharing: ‘We hope this message reflects our sincerity and our commitment to addressing the matter thoughtfully and responsibly. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to make things right.’
Hot Property Picks from Metro
‘Concrete wasteland’ named UK’s cheapest place to buy a home
I turned my tiny house into a dream home on a shoestring £2,000 budget
What I Own: We bought the worst house on the street for £325,000 — now it’s the best
Seaside town with ‘breathtaking views’ named one of UK’s most affordable for families
We’re freelancers with four kids, it was tough getting a mortgage for our £410,000 home
Metro.co.uk has contacted Bobba for additional comment.