After years of drinking bubble tea, local resident and bubble tea connoisseur Amie Blanton took the next step by opening her own business, Ding Tea Battle Ground.
Blanton is new to the business but has years of experience developing her taste for bubble tea. She said she and her sister are fans of the tea-based drinks that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and have traveled to many different places trying them. Blanton’s sister opened a Ding Tea location on Vancouver’s eastside, and that store has a Google rating of 4.5 out of five stars after a year in business.
Blanton’s sister convinced her to get into the business herself, which led to her decision to open a local Ding Tea location in Battle Ground, and found space in the same plaza as Gen Sushi.
Blanton opened her store on Friday, July 21 and said her business has been successful since its soft opening.
“There’s a lot of people that know about this place through Facebook,” Blanton said. “A Battle Ground housewife group and people were talking about it on there. A lot of people came out and supported us over the weekend.”
Blanton doesn’t have plans for a grand opening but hopes local residents keep returning to her business. Blanton also hopes her business will serve as an after-school hangout for students once school starts.
Blanton said, because her store is part of the Ding Tea franchise, all her ingredients are imported from Taiwan.
“So everything from the powder, the syrup and the tea … and we have to follow their recipe to bring out that authentic taste that they have created,” Blanton said.
She added Ding Tea bubble tea follows specific ingredient measurements authentic to the Taiwanese tea.
Ding Tea’s menu offers a large selection of beverages, including classic milk teas, flavored teas, lattes, slushes and even yogurts. The menu also includes a top 10-drinks section featuring the store’s signature milk tea, Monster Boba latte, and strawberry milk tea and others.
In the future, Blanton would like to add pastries to her location’s offerings so customers can have a snack option.
Blanton said she has designed her business space to encourage her customers to study, meet with friends, have after-school gatherings and more.
“I hope they get to come and make this home,” Blanton said.
Ding Tea Battle Ground is open from noon to 9 p.m. seven days a week at 11 N.W. 12th Avenue, unit 111.
To learn more about the Ding Tea franchise, go to dingtea.com.
