East West Tea

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, a