SINGAPORE: Any person who creates a bubble tea (BBT) brand from the bottom up, shows staying power amid a global pandemic (in part thanks to Pei Pa Koa) might feel at this point that they’ve arrived.
But no. Irene Low, the founder of Woobbee, has her sights set on even bigger things.
“I believe it’s time to expand,” she told The Independent Singapore (TISG) in an interview.
When we told Irene, who impressed us with her soft-spoken directness, that we wanted to get to know the woman behind Woobbee, as part of the brand’s larger story, she said, “I feel like there’s no difference,” because of how much she has invested of herself into the brand.
Prior to founding Woobbee 15 years ago, Irene obtained her degree in Design for Exhibition and Museums from the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. She had worked in the industry for seven years and found herself feeling deflated. After a while, she could no longer see a future in design and longed to step out of her comfort zone.
And so, at the age of 28, she founded Woobbee, a name that had been suggested by a friend. In Chinese, “Wu Bi” (无比) means “unbeatable.”
Irene chose to step into the world of bubble tea since she had worked in such a BBT shop for three years, from the ages of 17 to 19, and had a good idea of the fundamentals.
“What I really love is concoctioning,” she told TISG, explaining that she enjoyed playing with the beverages she would end up serving at Woobbee.
At the same time, Irene had grown tired of the long queues that were everywhere at the height of the BBT craze, and perhaps her designer mind even took over, because, at the time, she thought, “Actually, I want to do this for myself.”
What started out as a process of making tea drinks for friends and family eventually evolved into the Woobbee that we know and love today. Every step has her input, from R&D to sourcing to the design of each outlet.
That same drive to concoct the best bubble tea is still alive and kicking, with Irene telling us that she drinks every single product sold at Woobbee.
“I only sell it if I can finish the whole thing,” she added.
Of course, we asked her about the drink that put Woobbee on Singapore’s bubble tea map, Herbamint Milk Tea, which people probably know better as the one made from Pei Pa Koa, the traditional herbal supplement loved by singers such as Ariana Grande and Zayn Malik.
The story Irene told us is pure serendipity.
“Someone in the shop was feeling unwell,” she said, leading her to offer some Pei Pa Koa, and when they declined, Woobbee simply put it into a drink for them. The rest, as they say, is history.
“That drink is our saviour,” she told us with a smile.
When asked what the future looks like for Woobbee, Irene told us that the brand has had many opportunities to expand in the past, but they tread with caution.
“I think I wasn’t ready then,” she told TISG. “But I am now.” /TISG
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