Making a dream reality: Bubble tea shop owner shares her culture with Iowans

Bubble tea is a popular beverage in Asia, and now it is making a splash in Des Moines.The drink comes in countless varieties, usually consisting of tea, milk, and boba (tapioca balls) or jelly.Bubble tea shops have been popping up in Des Moines over the last few years, but that wasn't the case 10 years ago. "Back at that time, we didn't have any bubble tea, like Taiwanese-style, in Iowa. And my husband and I are bubble tea drinkers," Aom Meesangkaew.Aom Meesangkaew and her husband Nick Meesangkaew immigrated to Iowa from Thailand 10 years ago for her to pursue a doctorate degree at Iowa State University. That's when she started dreaming about Ocha."Moving to the U.S. is kind of the land of opportunity for me," Aom Meesangkaew said. "Ocha means tea in Japanese and it means delicious in Thai." Aom Meesangkaew's dream took years to become reality. Ocha Bubble Tea opened at 7216 University Ave. in Windsor Heights during the pandemic in 2020.At first, Aom Meesangkaew felt like opening a business was a gamble. But opening day was a sweet surprise."When we start to open our door, we have the line of people at the door here and to the end of the building," Aom Meesangkaew said.Besides bubble tea, the shop also serves items from other parts of Asia, such as a type of shaved ice from South Korea called bing-su. The newest menu item is a waffle on a stick.Nearly three years later, the lines at Ocha never stopped. Last week, they opened a second Ocha location at 802 SE Oralabor, Suite 104, in Ankeny."I just feel like it's kind of a reward for all the hard work that I put on my business and everything that I do," Aom Meesangkaew said.Aom Meesangkaew says she's grateful for the land of opportunity, but she's also excited to share Asian culture with Iowans — one sip and bite at a time.