Jean Noël and Scott Faint are 24 and 22 years old respectively. Sip & Chill Boba is their first company. "There has been a lot to read up on and learn" says Scott Faint.
After seven months of hard work, the time has finally come. On Saturday, friends Jean Noël and Scott Faint will opened their Asian café, bringing the Boba Tea phenomenon, also known as bubble tea, to Skellefteå.
– Ever since we met in 2018, we've wanted to open something together. In January, Jean called me and said that Skellefteå is becoming a really big city with a lot of new people from all over the world and that we should open something here. Milk tea is quite big abroad and in southern Sweden, but it hasn't been available in Norrland before, says Scott Faint.
– It'll be fun to bring something completely new to Skellefteå. When you look around here, it's always the same thing everywhere, adds Jean Noël.
The plan is for Jean Noël to run the company while Scott Faint will be assisting with administration from his home in Gothenburg.
In addition to bubble tea, the café will also serve iced tea containing pearls, but a different variety from the tapioca pearls used in Taiwanese milk tea.
They have also partnered with a local bakery to offer pastries.
– Once we have all the equipment in place, we'll also serve some food, like Japanese waffles and Vietnamese sandwiches, to stick to the Asian theme, says Scott Faint.
Most of the work has been done by the friends themselves – from building the premises to designing the company logo. Both work full-time elsewhere and describe a stressful existence with many nights spent talking to Asian suppliers.
– There have been many long nights because there’s a time difference with Asia, where our suppliers are, says Scott Faint.
The ice tea is made with "popping pearls" which apperance-wise resembles the tapioca pearls, but instead are filled with liquid and break when you bite into them.
Not all the ordered equipment has arrived yet. There has been a shortage of containers, which has delayed global deliveries.
Therefore, a full-scale grand opening is planned for a later date, but since the summer is short in Norrland, they wanted to introduce their concept to the people of Skellefteå now.
– We didn't want to miss the summer season. It's quite cold here in winter, so most people are out in the summer, says Scott Faint.
To continue operations in winter, the duo is already considering how to expand the menu with hot drinks to better match Skellefteå’s cold
– But we have a few months to prepare for winter, says Jean Noël.
Despite the food and drinks originating from Asia, the friends want to give it a local touch.
– We have chosen Swedish flavors like blueberry and raspberry. In the future, we hope to get cloudberries to make our own cloudberry iced tea and milk tea. To get that northern feeling, says Scott Faint.
The kitchen wall is being covered in anime-figures. Jean Noël is a big fan of anime and his partner is painting the pictures.
Jean Noël has been living in Skellefteå for fifteen years, and Scott Faint has also been a Skellefteå resident for a few years.
They feel that people have shown active interest in the business.
– Many people walk by and talk about how fun it is that this is coming here. It has been a driving force for us to try to get it up and running as soon as possible, says Scott Faint.
Jean Noël and Scott Faint got to know eachother in 2018. Outside of Sip & Chill Boba they share an interest in cars.
Ahead of Saturday’s soft opening, the friends feel a bit nervous since it's their first business.
– But we've managed to solve everything so far, so I think we can handle it in the end as well. After Saturday, I think everything will fall into place, says Jean Noël.
– It'll be fun to see what people think of the flavors and the place, says Scott Faint.