Taiwan often makes headlines for geopolitics and its semiconductor industry. But the country is also trying to win hearts and minds through its diverse culture. Enter Elena Liao, a Taiwanese American entrepreneur showcasing Taiwan's traditional tea culture in New York City.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00It's been a long day of work for Elena Liao.
00:07She's spent the day sorting through her merchandise and getting it fit for the shop floor just
00:12before the busy season.
00:14The Taiwanese-American runs a small tea business in New York City from her Brooklyn warehouse.
00:19All the teas are from Taiwan.
00:21We have, I would say, like 30 to 40 kinds regularly throughout the year.
00:28The Taipei Company ships bespoke teas, handmade cookies, and specialty tea cakes all over
00:33the United States, with two tea houses right in New York.
00:38What started out as a side hustle is now a budding beacon of traditional Taiwanese tea.
00:46She's entered the market at a time when Taiwan's government has been leveraging the popularity
00:51of bubble tea abroad.
00:53The sweet tea-based drink with tapioca balls originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and exploded
00:59onto the global market.
01:01It's now closely associated with Taiwanese culture, attracting attention to the country's
01:06innovation and adaptability.
01:09Taiwanese diplomats pose for photos with the drink, while President Lai Ching-te has celebrated
01:14it on social media.
01:16And there are events that celebrate Taiwanese bubble tea overseas as well.
01:20It also features prominently on souvenirs like keychains and even the country's 2024
01:26Olympic pin.
01:28Bubble tea can be really good for resonating with the audiences that do care a lot about
01:31bubble tea and hopefully widening the perceptions around Taiwan, acting as an entry point for
01:37people to learn about Taiwan.
01:39But at the same time, it's not going to resonate with everyone, so it is good to have different
01:44types of products that can circulate and see what resonates with different audiences.
01:50With the drink so popular on the international stage, Elena says she's not trying to break
01:55into the already saturated market, but offering something closer to Taiwan's traditional
02:01tea culture, something slower and more deeply rooted in the country's history.
02:06These teas are way too expensive for anything that has to do with bubble tea or those big
02:12bubble tea-like beverages.
02:14And so these are what they call like old people tea in Taiwan, like the one you would
02:19brew and that's our tea.
02:22And she's found there is a market for her teas in the United States.
02:27And so we start to notice that the teas that really resonate with people are actually the
02:33same ones that have resonated with people in Taiwan for generations.
02:40And if you really think about it, it's logical.
02:43It's been through, you know, generations, centuries of product testing.
02:49But Elena's company doesn't just import tea from Taiwan and sell it as-is.
02:54A little creative maneuvering is necessary to market fine Taiwanese teas to American
02:59consumers.
03:00The tea company acts as a cultural bridge.
03:03It imports exquisite Taiwanese teas in loose leaf, but it also innovates and repackages
03:09those same teas into formats that are more familiar for American customers, like teabags.
03:15At a time when Taiwan is making headlines for its fraught relationship with China, Elena's
03:20products offer American consumers a different taste of the country.
03:24I think it's good for them to read the, you know, whatever news about Taiwan.
03:29And then they're like, oh, I know something else about Taiwan.
03:32And there is a tea shop, and I had a cookie there, and I know, and a kind of a different
03:39sensibility and connection to where I'm from.
03:42So that's kind of nice.
03:44Showcasing a more nuanced side of Taiwan, one beyond geopolitics and even bubble tea,
03:51Elena's brewing stronger and more robust cultural connections between the U.S. and Taiwan, ones
03:57that go down like a warm cup of tea.
04:00I'm Leon Lin, Laurel Stewart, and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.