We Ran Out of Boba?
Fresh Tea made by Co-Owner Gabriel Chung
Mostly found as a topping in milk tea or fruit tea drinks, boba is a Taiwanese delicacy that has gained popularity across the world.
Why
Due to the pandemic, the U.S. and many other countries implemented import and export restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As safety was the main concern for this change, the effect on businesses that relied on the importation and exportation of goods was overlooked.
One main industry heavily affected by this restriction are food businesses, such as boba shops, that rely on overseas products to make their goods.
While the majority of boba is manufactured in Taiwan, the main ingredient of boba, the cassava root, is produced in Thailand.
This popular topping being manufactured overseas paired with the pandemic limiting imports created a boba shortage with adverse effects that businesses were not prepared for
David Yang, a LA tea shop barista, believes that the restrictions placed on imports negatively affected the business he works in.
“I think that this issue is much more than boba,” David comments, “There were other products that were on these ships that we can’t get due to the restrictions.”
“Before COVID it was much easier to get stuff from other countries due to the lack of background checks, especially with our products coming in.
David has also seen a lot more foot traffic in his store since the start of the pandemic.
“The supply isn’t matching the demand for boba which coupled with import restrictions it leads to a shortage.”
The Results
Before the import limitations, getting products on time was not a guarantee due to COVID-19 as surprises were around every corner.
Gabriel Chung, Co-Owner of Kung Fu Tea, preparing his ingredients
Gabriel Chung, the new co-owner of Kung Fu Tea in Harbor City, CA, experienced issues with the reopening of his store.
“What the restricted imports and exports have done is delay the shipping times of our products,” he says, “This forced us to go to a different warehouse to get our goods to ensure we open on time.”
Stores who caught wind of the shortage early tried to stock up on as much high-quality boba that was available.
However, that left other stores having to settle with lesser grade boba.
Chloe O’Connor, a co-worker of David’s, shares how their store tried to stay ahead of the curve when ordering boba during the shortage.
“As soon as our manager heard the news he started buying as much boba as he can,” she says,” Unfortunately, due to the problems with imports, we were unable to get the brand we usually get, and on top of that, our shipment got delayed by a month.”
“Since it takes one month from products to get from Asia to here,” Chloe states, “companies have to constantly plan ahead and keep a good eye on their inventory.”
To stay open during the pandemic, businesses must stock up on supplies.
“If businesses are not ready, those who are unprepared have to close their shops for weeks.”
The Solution
Some stores began to advertise other toppings to substitute boba while they were forced to wait until they received more products from overseas due to lack of inventory.
For others, the boba shortage was an eye-opener on how hard it is to operate stores when relying on imports from other countries.
Boba Guys, a business based in San Francisco, CA, had begun manufacturing their own boba in the U.S. before the pandemic began in order to skip the long wait and uncertainty that comes with imports.
Having boba manufactured in the U.S. allows American businesses to directly buy from a domestic source and remedies issues that come with buying supplies overseas.
However, this solution will not last a long time as the ingredients the Boba Guys need to make their tapioca boba balls are internationally grown.
“If boba was made in the U.S., the price of boba will decrease,” says Gabriel, who believes that since boba is originally Taiwanese culture, better quality products would come from Taiwanese imports.
“Even if boba was made in the U.S.,” David adds, “the cassava root is only grown in Asian countries so exporting it and then making the boba here will cost more in the end.”
Conclusion
Although the boba shortage is projected to end by summer, it has affected many businesses across the nation and persists in parts of the east coast.
”I don’t think anything like this happened in recent times,” says Chloe, “so having awareness of the boba shortage allows businesses to be able to get back on track and plan ahead more accordingly.”
“Because of this many stores will be more careful about it and prepare in advance if it happens again.”