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New bubble tea outlet for cuppa-supping
London
Staff Writer, with CNA, London
La Kaffa International Co
chairman Wang Yiao-huei, second left and Taiwan¡¦s Representative to the UK Shen
Lyu-shun, second right, share a cup of Taiwanese bubble tea with Chao
Chen-chuan, left, at the opening of a Chatime Taiwanese bubble tea outlet in
London¡¦s Soho area on Friday.
Photo: CNA
A bubble tea shop opened for business in
the bustling Soho area of London on Friday, offering tourists and the British
public another chance to experience the authentic Taiwanese drink, also known as
pearl milk tea (¬Ã¯]¥¤¯ù).
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the grand opening of Chatime¡¦s
first outlet in the UK, which was attended by Taiwan¡¦s representative to the UK
Shen Lyu-shun (¨H§f¨µ) and Harry Liang (±ç¬î¥Í), chairman of the Taiwanese Chamber of
Commerce in England.
Chatime, a Taiwan-based tea store chain, now has 737 outlets in 52 cities in 15
countries around the world, including the US, Australia, China, Singapore, the
Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, said Wang Yiao-huei (¤ýÄ£½÷), chairman of the
La Kaffa International Co, which owns Chatime.
London is the best location to start a business in the European market, Wang
said, outlining his firm¡¦s plan to open more outlets in the UK before expanding
to other European countries including Germany and France.
Shen said he is delighted to see the Taiwanese business can help introduce
Taiwan¡¦s tea-related drinks to the cosmopolitan city, which he described as a
place where culture, tourism and business converge, especially in the run-up to
the 2012 London Olympic Games that start next Friday. From equipment to
ingredients like tapioca balls ¡X bubble tea¡¦s most vital component ¡X almost all
the elements at Chatime¡¦s store in Soho were imported from Taiwan, Wang said.
News of the shop opening confirms the beverage¡¦s popularity with
banker-turned-businessman Assad Khan opening a bubble tea shop in the British
capital in April last year. Before the launch of his ¡§Bubbleology¡¨ brand the
drink was largely sold in Chinatown.
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