bruins and boba

UCLA’s connection to boba runs deep.

Alan Yu, an alumnus who graduated in 1993, co-founded

Of boba tea types, black tea is the most popular, making up over

41% of the global market share.

Garden Grove, California, has the greatest number of boba shops per resident in the US, at

5,200 citizens per store.

Lollicup, one of the earliest boba shops in Southern California. Since its founding in 2000 in the San Gabriel Valley, this boba chain has spanned across California and beyond.

Recognizing a promising business venture after graduation, Yu traveled to Taiwan to research boba. He then spent the year learning how to run the business and exploring popular recipes. After Yu established his own store, Lollicup became so popular that it opened more than 60 stores in under three years.

Lollicup now distributes its product to 6,000 stores globally, including the Lollicup branch that resides in Ackerman Union today. Yu attributes his company’s success to the novelty of boba back when he opened his first location.

“You don’t see any boba shops in the U.S. back in 2000, and that’s how we’re able to grow so fast,” Yu explained. “Because everywhere, if you open up one boba shop, people would just come.”

Shi Morgan, a third-year linguistics student, can attest to the widespread popularity of boba as an employee of It’s Boba Time in Westwood. Growing up, she noticed that boba culture was a large part of Asian communities. Her Asian friends often frequented boba shops, Morgan added, and she eventually joined the boba community herself. Morgan said working at It’s Boba Time has immersed her in an inclusive and diverse environment.

“It’s opened up a lot more to a lot of different types of people,” Morgan said.

Yu has also noticed a shift in the customer demographic of boba. Back in the 2000s, he and the other founders of Lollicup expected boba to only be successful among Asian Americans. They strategically established Lollicup’s first location in the San Gabriel Valley, where the Asian American community comprises more than 60% of the total population.

Little did they know the degree to which their business would explode.