Pauline Ang
Founder of Twrl M!lk Tea
We are
better for you.
Pauline Ang is the Founder and CT(ea)O of Twrl M!lk Tea™. She was first introduced to milk tea in college and has been hooked ever since, but also made the realization that not all milk teas are created equal. Some were too sweet, some had no tea flavor, some even used powder! After trying hundreds of various milk teas at cafes all around the world, she realized there was one place she did not find this drink — at home!
GlobalSF is working with Pauline to explore expansion of distribution of Twrl M!lk Tea in the San Francisco Bay Area through partnerships with local e-commerce leaders and innovative venues for food and beverages.
As part of the GlobalSF Women initiative, we also support women entrepreneurs by providing high quality resources, services, and access the global market and grow internationally. We are working with Twrl to expand to markets like Japan and other Asian countries, where milk tea is part of the culture and identity of billions of consumers.
Pauline is joining GlobalSF’s Japan Food Innovation Tour in 2023.
This is a highlight video of our conversation with Pauline. To watch the full interview, click here.
Twrl M!lk Tea™ is a better-for-you milk tea that's ready to enjoy anytime, anywhere. Using real organic brewed tea, plant-based milk & way less sugar, Your favorite indulgent milk tea without the guilt!
What advice do you have for women entrepreneurs who are taking ideas to product?
Get support from your peers. What I’ve learned through COVID and talking with so many people virtually is that people love to connect -- it’s amazing what 30 minutes over zoom can lead to!
Talk to your consumers/customers first. Don’t be afraid to ask, and take any feedback you can get!
Do your research, and keep learning and never settle. I am constantly learning more everyday about the business, whether it be on legal matters of the business, the science and research behind antioxidants in teas, next-level organic farming, or search for the next best low-GI sweetener on the market.
Time management & self care. As COVID hit, my kids were out of school & camps for over 6 months. I have found solace in the early mornings, where I could get an hour or two of uninterrupted “me” time to focus on work, and to exercise -- and that has really helped me get ready to go for the day.
“Beyond Organic”
I was connected to an amazing multi-generation family-owned tea producers in China whose teas are what we called “beyond-organic”.
Because these tea farmers live and work on their own land, they use organic practices beyond what is required of an organic-certified farm. This includes growing their tea in a bio-diverse environment to promote natural insect elimination through many species of birds living off the land, and literally healthy competition for the tea and fruit plants to thrive and exist in harmony. Not only are pesticides harmful to those living on the land, they also make plants “lazy” so they don’t produce the good stuff that makes the tea more flavorful, and higher in antioxidants. By planting tea and fruiting plants together, they both naturally compete with each other, producing better flavors and high antioxidants in the process. They also don’t over farm the land and only plant in season, to maintain the healthiest soil for their plants. Some of the tea is also grown in the wild!
I took my recipe to a food scientist through a local commercial kitchen who helped me with the commercial formula. I also joined WeWork Food Labs locally in San Francisco and got connected to even more food education events, mentors, and connections to various people in the food & beverage industry. With both of these systems going, I felt like I was on a roll and everything was moving at a nice pace.
A dear friend of mine who was also an entrepreneur referred me to a Lean Startup workshop hosted by Renaissance in San Francisco. One of the most important parts of this workshop required us to conduct consumer interviews with total strangers to test our ideas and proof of concept.It turned out to be one of the most important, eye-opening, and ultimately a key factor to many of the decisions I made in creating a product.
One group that has been amazing with connections was StartUp CPG. They have an amazing group of people and are a great support group for food & beverage startups like myself. I also took a virtual ecommerce bootcamp where I learned so much about selling direct-to-consumer online, and made a few great friends across the country in the process!
— Pauline Ang
