Singapore has by no means had a scarcity of bubble tea manufacturers, and among the many sea of choices stands Woobbee—a homegrown model based in 2010, greatest identified for its signature pei pa koa milk tea.
On the time of its launch, famend names like Koi and Gong Cha had been solely starting to achieve traction in Singapore, and there was additionally an absence of native manufacturers that specialised in bubble tea, particularly in those who catered to Singaporean tastes.
Recognizing a spot available in the market, founder Irene Low seized the chance to carve out her personal area of interest, and immediately, Woobbee has established a large presence throughout Singapore, with 5 shops throughout the city-state.
How it began
Woobbee is derived from the phrase ‘wu bi,’ which stands for ‘unbeatable’ in Chinese language.
Previous to launching the model, Irene experimented together with her personal recipes, inviting associates over for tastings to assemble suggestions. That was how she additionally bought acquainted with Benjamin Lim, who later grew to become her enterprise accomplice and the supervisor of Woobbee.
Whereas neither had in depth expertise within the subject, each Irene and Benjamin had beforehand taken on quick stints within the F&B and repair industries, giving them a foundational understanding of the enterprise.
In whole, it took roughly six months from the preliminary idea to the opening of Woobbee’s very first outlet at Tanjong Pagar Plaza.
“This included every part from recipe growth and branding to operations planning and abroad sourcing of high quality premium substances,” stated Irene.
The enterprise was partially self-funded with extra assist from personal backers.
Carving a distinct segment
But it surely wasn’t straightforward beginning up—as an unbiased model fairly than a franchise, they needed to construct every part from the bottom up, from standardising drink preparation processes to growing employees coaching protocols.
Regardless of these challenges, buyer response to the outlet was surprisingly good. One drink specifically—Herbalmint—shortly stood out and has remained Woobbee’s signature best-seller since its launch in 2013.
The drink’s principal ingredient is pei pa koa, a standard Chinese language pure natural treatment used to alleviate sore throat and coughs. Its inclusion was initially experimental, however it turned out to be a successful transfer.
“We each like pei pa koa. It was a stroke of genius once we added it to our milk tea,” stated Benjamin Lim, Woobbee’s supervisor. “To our shock, it tasted actually good collectively!”
In late 2018 and 2019, the drink “actually picked up steam as an organization in the US determined to promote it as their Christmas particular,” which led to a sudden wave of social media hype.
Other than its Herbalmint drink, the model has continued to introduce different flavours that enchantment to Singaporean style buds, together with Pink Guava with Plums, and Grape Yakult. This, in keeping with the model, has helped it carve out a definite identification available in the market.
High quality can be one other cornerstone of Woobbee’s enchantment. From day one, every cup of its tea is freshly brewed, as an alternative of utilizing premixed milk teas. In additition, the drinks are made utilizing solely uncooked sugar, which usually entails much less processing.
These efforts appeared to have paid off, with the model efficiently establishing 5 shops throughout Singapore immediately. The corporate additionally claims to have served tens of millions of cups throughout these shops, and counts numerous company purchasers and occasion organisers amongst its companions.
“Innovation is non-negotiable”
Nonetheless, there’s no denying that Woobbee is working in a extremely aggressive panorama, with main gamers, each native and worldwide, dominating the scene.
Regardless of this, the model stays assured in its capacity to face out by way of continued innovation.
Innovation is non-negotiable for us. We persistently push boundaries with new flavours, codecs, and seasonal campaigns.
Irene Low, founding father of Woobbee
To that finish, Woobbee is at present within the works of growing bottled variations of its common drinks and exploring merchandising machine ideas to boost accessibility and comfort.
Within the close to time period, the model additionally goals to develop its bodily presence, with plans to open extra shops, notably in heartland areas throughout Singapore.
Utimately, Irene and Benjamin envision taking Woobbee international, coming into regional markets and sharing the model’s “uniqely Singaporean take” on bubble tea with the world.
- Discover out extra about Woobbee right here.
- Learn different articles we’ve written on Singaporean startups right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Woobbee
