Malaysian bubble tea brand Tealive, founded by Bryan Loo, has officially landed in North America with the recent opening of its first store in Ottawa, Canada. 

According to the entrepreneur, Tealive was initially focused on expanding across Southeast Asia. That all changed after he met up with executives from an established business group in Canada that boasts 20 years of food and beverage experience and was convinced to commit to opening at least 50 Tealive stores in the country over the next five years.

To Malaysia state media Bernama, Loo said that the entry into Canada would allow Tealive to learn more about the North American market and eventually expand into the United States.

“Our Canadian launch menu is curated for local palates without compromising our unique Tealive breakthrough experience,” said Loo during the opening of the store in downtown Ottawa.

He also shared that he is bullish on the potential of the global bubble tea market and hopes to position Tealive at the forefront of the next wave. Besides serving drinks to its customers, Loo added that the company is exploring adding food items to its menu through Tealive Eats. Tealive is currently in 10 countries across five continents.

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