In 2020, bubble tea was a hot food trend. The Taiwanese drink featured tea blended with milk, fruit, and flavorings, and typically featured chewy tapioca pearls to give the beverage a bubbly appearance.
Today, the trend has evolved into something much bigger. According to Future Market Insights, the global bubble-tea market could triple in size over the next decade, reaching roughly $10 billion by 2035. A big driver behind this growth is the popping boba — the flavored pearls that burst when bitten into.
This trend is what a startup called Boba POPS is targeting. Only this company is doing something unique.
Instead of focusing on traditional bubble tea, Boba POPS has carved out a niche in the alcoholic-beverage industry. The company has created the first and only alcohol-filled popping boba on the market — protected by patents that are active for the next ten years.
These boba pearls are designed for cocktails, hard seltzers, and other adult beverages. The idea is simple: drop the pearls into a drink and they add flavor and texture while creating a fun, social-media-friendly experience.
Boba POPS is led by an experienced, accomplished team. President Mark Andrews founded and ran a successful energy company that he took public and sold for $350 million. He then founded Castle Brands, a spirits company, which he sold for $300 million. Boba’s Chief Marketing Officer spent a decade with Castle Brands and then founded a successful advisory firm in the alcoholic-beverage space.
Boba’s products are already in bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and grocery stores nationwide. This includes more than 10,000 retail locations like Total Wine and Publix. In 2025, the company generated close to three million dollars in revenue.
The company’s products work through a process called spherification. Each small pearl contains flavored alcohol inside a thin outer shell. When consumed, the pearl bursts with liquid flavor. The pearls can be added to cocktails, sparkling beverages, or other drinks to create what management hopes is a more engaging drinking experience.
Boba POPS primarily makes money by selling products wholesale to bars, restaurants, retailers, and distributors. The company also generates revenue through direct-to-consumer sales and branded partnerships.
Boba projects to reach twelve million dollars in revenue in 2027.