CGTN Europe interviewed Kristin McCoy-Ward, a beverage consultant and bubble tea expert
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00:00Christine McCoy, Ward, is a beverage consultant and bubble tea expert.
00:05Christine, great to see you there.
00:06So first, very briefly, are you a big fan of bubble tea yourself?
00:10Absolutely. I've drinked thousands over my lifetime.
00:14Thousands over my lifetime.
00:15So bubble tea has gone from a niche drink to a global trend.
00:19So what is driving this explosive growth?
00:23It's just so, it's such a good drink.
00:26It's amazing. It's fully customizable.
00:28It's fun. And, you know, it's great for social media as well.
00:32It's something that people can take pictures with and share with their friends.
00:35And there's definitely the social aspect to it.
00:37As you said, it's social aspect to it.
00:40And how has Gen Z influenced the development of bubble tea markets globally?
00:45They love everything global.
00:48They want to see what's trending around the world.
00:51They are fully digital.
00:53So they were the first to get on with, you know, the social media trend.
00:56And so from them, they're the ones that are really out there, not only paving the way of food and drinks and beverages with FOMO, as we would say, the fear of missing out.
01:06But they're also the ones that are mostly consuming it as well.
01:09So it's a full circle with Gen Z, definitely.
01:12And as someone active on social media yourself, and how do you see platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok influencing bubble tea's growth?
01:21There is definitely a lot of influence.
01:24You know, back in the day, hashtag bubble tea didn't really exist.
01:28And now it is searched, you know, more often than not.
01:32It's definitely one of the driving factors of beverage sales for a lot of businesses and shops and also for different generations.
01:40They do things differently depending on their age group.
01:43Some might do pictures, some might do videos, but it's definitely getting the popularity of the beverage out there and sharing it, the amazingness of it with the world.
01:52And do you think that some of the bubble tea brands are utilizing social media to promote their new innovations?
01:59And what are the some of the most popular products innovations at this point?
02:05Oh, yeah, definitely.
02:06You know, I think a lot of times finding people in social media that are very trendy themselves, someone who might be very popular or famous, and then they go ahead and create a drink that represents that person.
02:20So that way, the age group that they're trying to get to come into their shop identifies with that celebrity.
02:26They want to be like that celebrity.
02:27And so therefore, they want to try that drink.
02:29So that might be one example.
02:31But there's numerous others as well.
02:33And the many bubble tea brands are expanding from Asia now to Europe and to North America.
02:39What are the challenges they face when they enter the Western markets?
02:44Part of it would have to be the taste profile.
02:48You know, having traveled extensively in Southeast Asia myself and parts of China and Taiwan, I know that the preferences of taste tend to vary a lot as opposed to the West.
02:59In the West, people like things a lot sweeter.
03:01They might be a little more health conscious.
03:04So I think there will be a lot of research and development that needs to occur in order to figure out what's perfect for the Western taste palette.
03:11And along those lines of health conscious, for example, the customization.
03:16So not only offering toppings that the Westerns will want, but also the health side of things, perhaps oat milk or almond milk or pistachio milk, as opposed to just, you know, a non-dairy creamer, for example.
03:29Well, thank you very much for your insight.
03:31That is Christine McCoy-Ward, beverage consultant and bubble tea expert.
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