The nation’s Covid-19 pandemic will be remembered for many unfortunate circumstances. One side effect in the food industry involved the near-complete halt of new product development. With supply chain issues and consumer shelter-at-home orders, brick-and-mortar retailers rationalized shelves and eliminated most new product trials. Consumer packaged goods companies likewise closed or limited their offices—and slowed their R&D—while they battled supply chain and staffing issues.
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Even so, the pandemic could not stop entrepreneurial creativity. And that’s exactly the story of Bob Yau, founder of BOBABAM, a three-year-old Los Angeles company known for its namesake at-home frozen instant boba tea kits. The company’s Milk Tea flavored kit, introduced in January 2023, earned Prepared Foods’ Spirit of Innovation Award for best new Retail Beverage.
In 2020, Yau was a financial systems specialist turned management consultant. In a podcast with BNP Media’s Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, the Taiwanese-born American said he discovered boba at Fantasia Coffee & Tea in Cupertino, Calif., in the early 90s. Some 30 years later, at the height of the pandemic, Yau was scouring LA for boba drinks he could buy and take home to share with his kids.
“Many boba stores had closed and the ones that were open had long lines,” Yau recalls. “Yet the quality of the boba was inconsistent, prices were becoming more expensive and there were fewer customization options because of supply chain bottlenecks. They say ‘necessity is the Mother of invention’ and I wanted to create a product that was convenient, kid-friendly and fast, cost-effective and customizable. That’s where the BOBABAM idea came from.”
Yau knew from experience that preparing boba pearls at home was a time consuming process—either either directly from flour (like preparing pasta) or from pre-made dry balls. With the idea of an easier at-home kit, Yau soon connected with another LA-area finance exec, Brian Khoddam, who already had transitioned into the food world with roles at Cravery Kitchen, Venice Baking Company, Simms Restaurants and Jo’s Candies. The two men soon scoured area restaurants and retailers for boba drink samples and any at-home boba kits.
By mid-summer 2021, newly formed BEK Foods had a partnership with a Taiwanese boba manufacturer who produced authentic Taiwanese tapioca pearls and pre-packaged them with a brown sugar syrup (the brand’s initial flavor). BEK created an initial Costco offering of 12 pouches—along with drink straws—to give consumers a considerable discount from boba shop prices. Yau and Khoddam likewise insisted BOBABAM products boast a clean label with vegan, nut-free, gluten free, Non-GMO, all natural and kosher- and halal-approved ingredients.
Today’s 9.2oz frozen package contains four individual pouches of boba combined with one of seven flavored syrups and a four-pack of compostable straws. Consumers simply snip a pouch, pour the contents into a cup and microwave it for 45 to 60 seconds. Afterward, they pour the contents into a glass over a cup of ice and then add in a cup of regular or plant-based milk to suit. Flavors introduced since 2021 now include Brown Sugar, Strawberry, Coffee, Mango, Milk Tea, Matcha, and Taro.
As of October 2022, BOBABAM already had sold more than 25 million products and was adding more executives in sales, marketing and finance. This April 2023 brought even more change. BEK was renamed as BOBABAM in conjunction with a complete new branding and packaging overhaul. Then this July, longtime strategic advisor and investor Apu Mody joined BOBABAM as full-time CEO. His diverse background includes executive roles at Lenny & Larry’s (CEO, 2017-2019), and Mars Foods Americas (president, 2010-2015).
“Apu is a friend and trusted advisor and is recognized as a transformational leader and purpose-driven executive,” says Khoddam. “He brings invaluable experience in scaling and energizing businesses, developing and executing successful strategies and fostering diverse and inclusive workplace cultures.”
“I was lucky to have been introduced to BOBABAM by Brian a few years ago. I loved the product and knew that they had the start of something special,” says Mody. “Many of the steps we have made—whether hiring a phenomenal team, onboarding key retail and supply partners or continuing to focus our resources—were informed by past experiences, and I am eager to keep working with this amazing team to move the company forward in this new role.”
BOBABAM is available at select Costco and Sam’s Club locations in club-sized 12-packs; and Target, Giant and Schnucks locations in packs of four. BOBABAM Instant Boba Drink Packs come with accompanying paper straws.
