Craig and Vareeporn Gonzalez founded Tea Time Café out of a true love of boba tea drinks. They tried various recipes from many tea shops, but there was always something missing. With the high prices that accompanied their tea habit, Vareeporn always felt that they could create their own fresher, more affordable recipe. Their goal became to create the boba tea café that they themselves would love to frequent. By Kelsi Trinidad
Craig and Vareeporn Gonzalez founded Tea Time Café out of a true love of boba tea drinks. They tried various recipes from many tea shops, but there was always something missing. With the high prices that accompanied their tea habit, Vareeporn always felt that they could create their own fresher, more affordable recipe. Their goal became to create the boba tea café that they themselves would love to frequent.
In 2016, the husband-and-wife team opened their first Tea Time Café location in Louisiana. They shed many of the inflated costs that often come at the expense of customers, such as charging extra for mixing flavors while also offering more flavor options. While many boba cafés offer around 10 flavors of tea, Tea Time Café offers over 30 flavors.
It turns out that the couple cracked the code on how to create a beloved boba tea café. While many similar franchises take about a year to see a return on investment, the Gonzalezes began to see a return on investment within the first two months. The brand quickly gained a loyal following with customers waiting up to 30 minutes in line just to get their boba tea. Soon after, it made sense to open a second café to meet the immense demand.
At the end of 2023, Tea Time Café launched its franchise model so other entrepreneurs and fellow boba tea lovers would have the opportunity to reap the rewards of the couple’s successful approach to boba cafés.
“When I met my wife, she barely spoke English, and I have a disability,” said Craig. “If I can do this and she can do this, anyone can do this.”
Before opening their cafes, Craig worked multiple jobs, doing everything from delivering pizza to construction work. Tea Time Café has allowed the couple to have more time to spend with their children, giving them flexible hours and extended family vacations.
“Neither of us were actually ever really, you know, a manager,” said Craig. “Being a normal employee to then running your own business was a nice confidence boost. It was like wow, I made it and it felt like I could finally attain something.”
Kelsi Trinidad