(Honey Bear Boba)
By Janet Garcia
(SAN FRANCISCO) The Dogpatch neighborhood in San Francisco got a sweet new boba spot.
Honey Bear Boba opened Feb. 3 and friends Brian Tran and rap artist Larry June talked to News Break about making their idea into a reality.
"The business itself only took about two weeks to go from ground to a physical location," Tran told News Break. "In reality, Honey Bear Boba took about two years to come into fruition, because although the business itself was very quick to happen, it took time to build the trust amongst Larry, myself and our other two partners."
June and Tran were introduced to each other through a mutual friend while working on entrepreneurship ventures.
"It started off as a friendship, friendship then led to small business transactions here and there. Once those transactions were finished, we realized that, hey, we have something here, and we have good hard-working people," said Tran."You know, loyalty, trustworthiness, and that's where this kind of spiraled down and it was a dream team."
Both have roots in the Bay Area. Tran is from Oakland and June is from San Francisco.
The name of the shop is a combination of a key ingredient to making the boba, which is honey, and June's idea of adding a bear.
"It sounded good," June told News Break. "In fact, it came from the environment where we put the place in the Dogpatch. It fits and sounded very organic.”
The line for Honey Bear Boba's soft opening brought many from all walks of life.
"The opening went very well and the line wrapped around the block the whole time," said June. "The turnout was very peaceful and no violence. Everyone out there with good and positive energy. It couldn’t have gone any better.”
(Honey Bear Boba)
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect businesses, June and Tran went forward with the opening.
"If you can succeed now and when everything goes back to normal, you're going to be ahead of the rest," said Tran.
Challenges arose for the team, including delays waiting for San Francisco's health department and the city department to get back to them.
Hours of operation were extended on Monday and the business partners said they expect to have a grand opening soon.
"We're waiting for a couple of things to arrive," said Tran. "We promise when the grand opening comes it’s going to be something big and fun."
June said this is one of his first business projects and branches out from his usual rap artist persona.
“The reason Honey Bear Boba stands out because it’s more than just selling drinks, it’s a lifestyle for the community,” said June. "It’s giving back to the kids and showing people it’s possible even for a person like me, who is more than just an artist. I can do other things and branch out.”
Honey Bear Boba offers a variety of options, including organic drinks, slushies, lemonade, a crema series and classics.
According to June and Tran, the Brown Sugar Milk with Crema is a fan favorite.
(Honey Bear Boba)
The owners want the boba shop to promote inclusivity and make customers feel comfortable when ordering a drink.
"If you look at our lines, the beautiful thing about Honey Bear Boba is that we get everyone, old, young, Asians, Blacks, Mexicans, everybody, and it's a beautiful sight, especially with what's going on in the nation right now," said Tran. "That's what makes us different because we care for everyone."
When it comes to expanding, the team plans to grow in San Francisco before spreading out to different cities.
"We're definitely going to be expanding very soon," said Tran. "We're probably going to be sticking to the San Francisco area first so we can make sure that we provide our products to where we grew up."
(Honey Bear Boba)
Honey Bear Boba is located at 801 22nd St., San Francisco.