Launched and headquartered in Southern California in 2020, boba franchise Krak Boba has been on a steady rise ever since. It most recently opened its first Florida location in Longwood as well as its 12th location in Eastvale, California, and it has over 15 additional locations currently under development.
The boba franchise also recently entered into a partnership with Sysco, a global leader in the distribution of food and non-food products, which will help the brand to expand nationwide.
"We're incredibly proud to have been selected as Krak Boba’s primary distributor," said Rob Schwartz, New Business Developer at Sysco’s Southern California Region, in a press release. "Krak Boba’s passionate leadership team and dedication to quality products and recipes played an enormous part in our desire to bring in a completely new line of products to service Krak Boba’s growing number of locations through Sysco’s Southern California region and beyond."
Krak Boba takes pride in using only the finest ingredients to craft signature boba teas, featuring exciting flavor combinations like lychee, dragon fruit, and mango (Dragon Slayer); and strawberry and matcha (Strawberry Matcha Latte).
What sets Krak Boba apart from other boba tea franchises is its inclusive approach, particularly catering to newcomers in the boba tea scene, along with boba aficionados. The brand's unique concept of "PersonaliTEAs" aligns individuals' tastes and lifestyles with distinct boba tea varieties, making the selection process both relatable and delicious. This strategy ensures Krak Boba appeals to a broad market spectrum, from seasoned boba enthusiasts to those experiencing boba tea for the first time.
World Tea News caught up with Krak Boba CEO Tin Do to learn more about the boba chain's offerings and the popularity of boba in general.
World Tea News: What do you think is behind the recent popularity of boba in the U.S.?
Tin Do: I think boba is just such a fun concept! Many people in the U.S. haven’t had the experience of drinking and “eating” at the same time, e.g. boba balls or any of the fun toppings we offer like rainbow jelly, popping bobas, etc. But after trying it for the first time, the fun and enjoyable experience grows on you, especially when you taste high-quality boba like ours. Further, when you say, “let’s go get boba,” it’s usually accompanied by a group of friends or family wanting to hang out, and in the process, celebrate human connections with their loved ones via quality time – one of the five love languages.
Krak Boba has many new locations planned for this year. What is behind the brand’s success and growth?
We are a brand that celebrates individuality, and in the process of designing the brand, we intended to break down any cultural barriers that may have prevented people from accessing this product of joy!
Krak Boba was inspired by the story of King Krakus who led his people to slay the Wawel Dragon that was ravaging his kingdom. Our mission is to “Krak” open the potential in everyone we come to interact with. Each one of our specialty drinks is one-of-a-kind crafted, due to the colors of the fruits, to remind each person of their individuality and invite them to rule their day, rule their life! Our product needs to be worthy of the person “wielding” it.
Tell us more about your PersonaliTEAs concept and how it resonates with customers.
When being introduced to a new concept (e.g. boba) or brand (e.g. Krak), we sometimes hear people say, “Oh, that’s not for me,” or, “Oh, that’s not my thing.” However, like Steve Jobs’ brilliant invention of the iPhone, we believe that customers don’t know what they want until it is presented to them. PersonaliTEAS is our first attempt to invite/lure new customers in on the basis of their personality and lifestyle. There will be more campaigns to come using different invitation/luring techniques.
How do you choose which flavor combinations to add to your menus?
This is a combination of the co-founders’ family recipes that have been passed down through generations (e.g., our housemade fresh taro paste inside our Taro Twist and Taro Crush, or most of the smoothies menu), along with leveraging group intelligence by incentivizing the team members to create. Some of our best drinks like the Dragon Slayer, Queen Brûlée, and Peach Apple Tea were team members’ creations!
Which types of boba are most popular with your customers?
The most popular type of boba our customers enjoy is the classic kind, where it’s made from the all-natural cassava (tapioca) plant (a starchy root vegetable similar to potatoes). Our proprietary recipes of cooking boba in brown sugar fresh daily, in fact, multiple times a day, ensures the fresh and excellent chewy bounce factor in every boba ball! Yum!
Where do you source your teas from? How did you choose your supplier?
We source our teas in various countries in Asia like Vietnam, China, and Taiwan. The current teas we use are the proprietary mixture that we have stringently tested and approved. We chose our supplier on the basis of quality, price, and track record. Also, their commitment to excellence in service [needed to] greatly align with our commitment as well.
Plan to Attend or Participate in World Tea Expo, March 18-20, 2024
To learn about other key developments, trends, issues, hot topics and products within the global tea community, plan to attend World Tea Expo, March 18-20, 2024 in Las Vegas, co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com.
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