Angel Zhao, a rising senior at Brandeis University, is not your typical college student. She balances not only being a biology major, pre-med student, and artist but also a businesswoman. Founded in August of 2022, Angel Tea, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, is Zhao’s very own boba shop. The modest establishment, just nine miles outside of Boston, is seated comfortably among other businesses welcoming locals and visitors for a sweet surprise on Moody Street.
In an interview in late July with Spoon University, Zhao shared her experiences navigating becoming an entrepreneur. Her feathered pixie bob framed her face as she smiled, “It was like fate,” Zhao said of her nearly two-year-old business.
How Angel Tea Got Its Wings
A Chinese native, Zhao attributes her inspiration for starting her business to her parents.
“I always really wanted to pay for my tuition fee because my parents did so much for me, moving our family [to the U.S] for my education and they have supported me for so long,” she said.
While she initially knew she wanted to start her own business, she felt directionless in what she would build. Zhao, then a freshman, struck up a conversation with an owner of a boba shop who wanted to sell, and Zhao was the perfect candidate. She registered her company and it is listed among Waltham’s 2,083 businesses. Through her business, she is not only able to cover her tuition and basic needs, but also cultivate relationships with her community and share her culture.
“Angel Tea is located on Moody St, [so] its location is perfect,” she said. “Close to campus and my house.”
Zhao, who considers herself a manager, is the definition of self-made. She is currently in charge of nearly everything from marketing and graphic design to making recipes and hiring.
“We also hire Brandeis students and at the beginning, it was a lot of my friends. It was really fun,” she added.
When asked about balancing it all, “It was not as bad as I thought,” she replied. Zhao is able to finish her schoolwork during the slow hours of her shop and has just as much time for her hobbies. Among them is her art. She makes intricately hand-designed prints, often architectural ink drawings, which she sells at her school Craft Market and in her business.
“There is a small gallery in the corridor of all my work,” she said while giving me a virtual tour.
The wall is lined with postcards and prints of Zhao’s work. Her art thrives in more ways than one. When creating menus and advertisements, Zhao often uses ProCreate and Canva to make cute and loveable designs.
The Angel Tea logo, surprisingly, took the most time. Carefully crafted, “the logo needs to represent everything this business is,” said Zhao. “It visually tells you what we are about,” but it is also a representation of Zhao herself. Even with the name of her establishment, the logo speaks for itself. A heart half-filled with bubble tea and angel wings evokes a sense of warmth and care in every recipe.
The Inspiration Behind The Menu
Angel Tea is your one-stop shop for all things tea, but the menu also has some tasty snacks like popcorn chicken, desserts like sweet crepes, and light meals such as soup noodles and rice dishes. The food recipes are specially handcrafted by Zhao’s mother.
Since her grand opening in the early fall of 2022, business has been booming. Zhao is constantly adding new drinks to her menu, and she has dramatically increased the number of teas.
“We used to only have one page for drinks and now we have four pages,” Zhao said, laughing.
She is not new to experimentation. She loves playing with ingredients and trying new combinations for testing new flavors and recipes.
“I’ll taste test with my friends adjusting different levels of flavors,” she said.
Zhao, an art history nerd, has traveled to many places in Europe and Asia, and it is here where she finds the most inspiration for recipes.
“I get inspired from traveling with my mom and I always take notes,” Zhao said.
The menu currently hosts a number of boba tea flavors. The fruit teas include mango and passion fruit. They offer the most popular flavors such as taro, a purple drink made with starchy vegetables that tastes like sweet potato, and Hong Kong, a caffeinated bubble tea with black tea and condensed milk. Additional flavors include more sweet-tasting teas such as strawberry and Oreo.
Sip-rising Plans For The Future
To say that Angel Zhao is a multi-hyphenate would be an understatement. She is constantly juggling many identities for such an incredibly young woman. Her studies are a priority but that does not mean she’ll forget about her business.
“I have big plans for the business in the future,” Zhao announced.
While her focus is getting into medical school, she plans on taking a gap year before attending.
“I’ll have that year to experiment with the direction I can take Angel Tea,” she said. “In the future, I really want to get Angel Tea into colleges in the Boston area because bubble tea is a drink for young people, for us.”
In honor of her shop’s two-year anniversary, she is currently in conversation with her university, Brandeis, and its dining service, Harvest Table, about becoming a guest restaurant on campus.
For Zhao, managing a business is fun and challenging but also an experience to learn from.
“It can totally change your ideas on how you want to take your career and open up new possibilities,” Zhao said.
Her advice to young entrepreneurs is to try to pursue their dreams.
“Most people won’t carry their ideas out because they don’t have the support they need,” she said.
Once her collaboration with Brandeis University is solidified, she plans to take out 10% of her profits to “build a platform for college student entrepreneurs.”