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East-West Tea was founded in January 2016 by Rice University students Drew Sutherland, David Cooper, and Glenn Baginski. They observed the incredibly long lines boba tea created at late night food outlets on campus and the inability of those outlets to supply the demand for the drinks. They committed themselves to solve the logistical and supply problems generated by a product with high on-campus demand, but only off-campus suppliers. The solution: produce boba tea at the source of its demand. Although starting as an assignment for a business class, the project quickly grew into a full-fledged effort to turn the idea into reality when the founders decided to join forces. The four like-minded individuals spent a year painstakingly developing each flavor and recipe, securing a location on campus, and compiling the capital to open the doors of the business. East-West Tea is operated every day by college students, both managers and cooks. The business acts as their entrepreneurial lab, an opportunity to actually run a business, gain invaluable leadership and management experience, alongside their coursework. As much control as possible is given to the student managers, encouraging them to dream up, execute, and learn from the ideas they believe will benefit the business. With a firm foundation of excellent sales and reception at Rice, East-West Tea’s future has never been more exciting. The possibilities for expansion are truly limitless. No matter what, the students who make the business run successfully each day will continue to innovate and make superb drinks for their peers and the city of Houston. They are the reason East-West Tea is able to carry out its mission every day: prepare undergraduates for career success by providing them with an opportunity to gain management experience, test their business ideas, and develop as a professional beyond their academics. And of course, make great boba tea.
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United States
