Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Ng.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Just like any other girl (or most girls), I used to like drinking boba a lot. But as time goes by and I get older, I just know that I need to reduce myself from consuming sugary drinks. In 2019, I started to learn more about teas and their benefits. I traveled around Asia, collecting knowledge about tea leafs and different ingredients as much as possible.
After that, I began to play around in my home kitchen with all the things that I’ve learnt. I made fruit syrups, black sugar sauce and caramel from scratch. This way I can control the sugar level and know that there’s no artificial ingredients. I want people that enjoy my drinks knows exactly what they are consuming and feel safe about it, just the way I do. After gaining enough confidence, which was in 2020, I started to cater to small parties.
Later that year, I setup a small booth at the Dallas Farmers Market and officially sold my drinks to the public. In 2021, I had my first popup at a Japanese Restaurant in Dallas. Following that, I had a few others around DFW area. In mid-2021, I rent out a commercial kitchen and began to bottle up my drinks. At this moment, you can easily find my products at Mitsuwa Marketplace Plano and Okaeri Cafe in Richardson!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s no such thing as a smooth road in life. There will always be hardship along every way, and with my business as well. Since I try to create unique and different drinks from scratch, I had to spend a lot of time and money to experience over and over again recipes.
I had no experience of running a business before. I didn’t know how to contact with suppliers, how to advertise for my business or how to deal with paperwork. There were multiple times I thought of giving up, but every time I see people enjoying my drinks, I just keep pushing myself and overcome each obstacles.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
La Maison Bleue is specialized in freshly handcrafted beverages and dessert beverages from scratch. Our organic tea leafs are cold brew for at least 24 hours for a better and smoother taste. We focus on using seasonal, fresh, real fruits and herbs only in our products. Besides of catering for private parties and events, we have our products bottle up and ready to drink.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life until I’m over my mid 20s. After college, like many other kids, I was lost for a few years. I tried to do a few different things, from music to photography and teaching, but none of them worked out.
During that time, I also picked up a new hobby, cooking. I enjoy cooking for my family, making pretty much everything from scratch. I started to care for what goes into my family’s and my own body. I slowly stopped drinking boba and making my own drinks at home, from scratch. I enjoyed making drinks so much, my family and friends really pushed me to persuade this as a career.
After I started doing this professionally, I have met so many people. Each of them showed, taught and supported me in different aspects in life and work. I know I have changed a lot since I followed this path, but in a good way, hopefully I believe.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @lamaisonbleue_
- Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/LMBCafe/
