The story of love and harmony 

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    Someone said: "People are the most beautiful scenery, not just poetry and the dream. There is  a small bubble tea store connect the community "Love & Harmony" and become a beautiful landscape in the city.

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    In recent years, the semiconductor industry has been booming, making the "Formosa" island of Taiwan famous and known as the "Taiwan Miracle." However, Boba Tea, which originated in Taiwan, has been popular all over the world for many years. Taiwan Boba Tea has become a global beverage culture after tea and coffee, and has also become an alternative Taiwanese miracle!

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There is love in the heart, so there is compassion

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     Walnut Creek, California, is a small town with about 60,000 residents, about a 25-minute drive from the University of California, Berkeley. In this green town, the streets are lined with multicultural restaurants and shopping stores, attracting people from nearby cities to come shopping on holidays. Hidden in a corner of Broadway in the city center is a small bubble tea shop that just happened to start operating when Covid-19 broke out. During the epidemic, several Boba tea stores in the city closed down one after another, but this small store was fortunately not defeated. Instead, it experienced a series of heartwarming stories of "love and harmony" with the community.

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     In early 2019, a young single mother loved drinking Boba tea and dreamed of starting a business and running a Boba tea shop, so she spent some money to buy this small business. After half a year of hard work, she ran the store but things went against her wishes. Not only did the business fail to improve, but it continued to lose money. She did not even have the funds to replace the electronic signboard, so she could only continue to hang the canvas sign. In addition, her physical condition was not good. Faced with the complicated store work and pressure, she was exhausted both physically and mentally and fell into a difficult situation.

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    At a chance gathering, Echo Chang learned about this situation and was moved and sympathetic. She decided to support her through the difficult times and found the “Li cha tea” brand with extensive experience from Taiwan in running this store, she hoping that they could turn defeat into victory. Unexpectedly, the world was hit by the Covid-19 at the end of 2019. The economic activities and lives of residents suddenly came to a halt. Restaurants and stores closed down one after another. Everyone still remembers the horror and social unrest! Faced with such an unprecedented disaster, the store realized that this disadvantage might not be reversed, so they planned to end the store operation and announced the closure of the store. However, Echo decided to keep this original store with her husband after the partners passed the buck. Echo and her husband became the victims and had no choice but to take over the shop. But for a couple who had no experience in running a bubble tea shop, would this be God's grace? Or the beginning of a nightmare?

 

​ From High-tech to Boba Tea

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    Echo was an engineer of semiconductor company in Taiwan at her early years. She owns the brand and run the bubble tea shop and supply business. "From high-tech to Boba tea", the span of this industry is really huge. Her husband also worked as a station manager in an airline for many years, and running a bubble tea business was definitely not in their life plan. In fact, for bubble tea, they are still stuck in the memory stage of "old-fashioned bubble tea" in Taiwan in their childhood. Now they suddenly have to take over the operation of a Boba tea shop. This is really a plan that cannot keep up with the changes.

     When the couple first took over the Boba tea store, business was indeed not good. The store location is not ideal place. There is a large fountain next to the store, which is a commemorative landmark and the birthplace of the earliest development of this city. However, the store is not on the main street and there are no crowds at all. Even locals find it difficult to find it. As a new couple, they have high ideals, but the reality is very bleak! Echo took charge of front desk service, developing drinks and recipes, and Tony took charge of kitchen and supply management and replenishing stocks. Tony always sighed and complained, "A dragon in shallow water is bullied by shrimps; a tiger in plain water is bullied by dogs; a cat in success is stronger than a tiger; a phoenix without feathers is no better than a chicken." On the contrary, Echo continued to strive, full of faith and enthusiasm, vitality and creativity. Not only did she not give up, she believed "God make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." to encourage her husband, saying, "Since it has come, we should accept it!" Since you are going to do it, try your best to do it well.

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   Echo printed the bless verse on the reward cards: "Blessed is your going out, and blessed is your coming in." She gave the cards to customers who came to the store, wishing them blessings when they came in and out. Echo always cherishes the opportunity to interact and chat with customers, and cares for the guests who come to the store with her heart. Unexpectedly, the Boba tea shop has created a unique style and started to experience many wonderful and heartwarming community stories.

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 Love is giving

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 In 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, shatter-in-place measures were implemented around the world, with governments only allowing people to leave their homes to purchase necessities. One day, an Air Force soldier went out to buy a cup of bubble tea, but he was stopped and questioned by the National Guard at an intersection in the city center. The armed national guard questioned him: "Do you know that during the shatter-in-place period, you are not allowed to leave your residence unless you buy necessities?" ", the soldier replied firmly: "Li cha Boba tea is a necessity for me, I want to support this small shop to survive!" The soldiers finally passed the checkpoint, were allowed to came to the shop, where the store deeply felt the soldiers' incomparably warm love and care.

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      There was an elderly couple who walked 6 miles in the city every day. They passed by the store almost every day and sat down on the rock steps next to the shop to take a short rest before continuing their walk. Echo came outside the shop to ask them if they wanted some water. One day, an old man suddenly came into the store, but he wanted to give a tip. He said, “This tip is for you to pay for your water and electricity bills!” Echo was very excited and grateful, but she was unwilling to accept it. Later, the old lady Dr. Conner and Echo's found out during their conversation that they both loved flowers, so she sent a small vase of flower arrangements and placed it on the ordering counter in the store. Until now, every Friday when the store opened, a lady would send flower arrangements to be replaced without interrupt

 

 One World , One Family

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      When Covid-19 broke out, the government further stipulated that people could not dine indoors, and restaurants could apply to set up tents to provide outdoor dining for customers. Echo also bought a large red parasol and tables and chairs and placed them outside the store. One day, Dr. Conner expressed her willingness to donate four large green parasols and chairs to her, and proposed to the city government to remove the grass bushes planted beside the sidewalk in front of the store and plant roses instead. Because she had studied in France when she was young, she missed the harmonious scene of people sitting on the large parasols and chairs on the Champs-Elysées to relax and drink beverages. She hoped to build a beautiful resting place for the city together with Li cha tea. Echo once asked the old lady why she did all these things, and she said: "One World, One Family; Love is Given." In addition to the common ideal of serving the community, Echo and Dr. Corner also have the more important connotation of living out love.

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     Although the dream of setting up a large parasol seating area and planting roses on the pedestrian walkway in front of the store was beautiful, the landlord at the time did not support Echo unless the city government approved it. Unfortunately, the city government rejected the application. When the large parasol seat was about to be removed, Echo felt very sad and helpless and couldn't help crying. At this time, she received a notice from Dr. Conner to suspend the removal. It turned out that she had been communicating and coordinating with the municipal government unremittingly, and finally city agreed to set up the large parasol seat and charge a fee. In early 2023, after the epidemic was lifted, the old lady suddenly passed away. This was news that made Sister Echo feel very sad and regretful. Unexpectedly, one spring later, the city suddenly decided to clear the bush area in front of the store and planted colorful roses instead and turned into a beautiful rose garden, and this happened to be the first anniversary of Dr, Conner pass away. As time flies, the seeds of "love and harmony" that both of them have planted for the community have begun to sprout.

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Love & Harmony

 

     Today, Li cha tea original store has a seating area with red and green parasols, a rose garden for Boba tea time, primary and secondary school teachers, lawyers, doctors in the community... come here to serve as volunteers, dog lovers walk their dogs and gather to communicate, cyclists come to rest, students come to do homework, book lovers enjoy reading under the parasols, and family and friends gather together. Customers and travelers from all over the world gathered here, including those from the UK, Canada, Taiwan, Sweden, India, France, Spain, Nicaragua, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Seattle, Shanghai, Beijing, ……etc. There were also many heartwarming stories about Li cha tea and communities!

Echo hopes “Li cha tea” can become a channel for the community to connect with "love and harmony" (The Way The Community Connects). Therefore, except using the cold Kiosk self-service ordering machine service, she prefer to focus on the interaction and dialogue between customers. She insists on handing each cup of Boba tea to the customers with both hands, expressing store sincere gratitude and blessings. “Li cha tea” comes from Taiwan, is based in the United States, and is now expanding to all the world. Echo and Tony not only hope to share Taiwan's good tea and Boba tea to various places, but also hope to bring love and harmony to the world.

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     Someone said: "People are the most beautiful scenery, not just poetry and the dream." This is a beautiful small town, a place full of warmth and comfort. If you have the opportunity to travel to this city one day, maybe you can also come and experience "the love and harmony Boba tea with most beautiful blessing!".