ABOUT
Why TropiTai?
With a mother raised in Taiwan, a father raised in Hawaii, and me being raised away from both, I didn’t feel like I truly belonged to either. I’d mention elements, foods, experiences from cultures people didn’t understand. Cultures I didn’t totally understand. I was always being told that I’m not Taiwanese enough, not Chinese enough, not American enough. So I finally decided to build something that I could share with others that is wholeheartedly, unapologetically me.
When you come in, you’re not just supporting another small business—you’re supporting my dream, my journey, and a story that’s been years in the making. Every malasada, shaved ice, and boba drink is a piece of that story.
My Journey
Even though we’re still just a local, small business, there have been some highs and definitely a lot of lows. To be completely honest, how I got to this point is not an easy story for me to tell.
Originally, it was my mom’s idea to open a Taiwanese, Hawaiian restaurant / cafe. Initially, I only wanted to get involved so I could learn the business and marketing side of things. I went in thinking “I know working with her will be difficult, but surely things have changed after all this time. Surely, we can come together for this. I may never have another opportunity like this.” So right there and then December 2023 in my childhood home, we decided to take the leap.
Previously, I was studying computer science at CU Boulder and in August 2024 going into my fourth year, I dropped out. I realized that college was painting a path that I didn’t want to take. I went in to computer science thinking of it as the safe secure route, and nowadays it’s hard not to see how much that statement has changed. At this point, I was doing so much more than just handling the business and marketing side of things, I had to be all in, and there was no way I’d be able to take on school and the business at the same time.
A couple of months later, in December 2024. After all this time working with my mother, the arguments saw no end, and it felt like she was unwilling to learn, to understand, to compromise with my point of view. Now stack that on top of the criticism from my peers and the people projecting their doubts, their regrets; I had never felt so alone, so empty, so unsure of the path I chose. The last straw had already been drawn. So, hands trembling, I called my mom and said“Either I need to back away from this completely, or I need you to let me do this on my own”.
Not without a fight, she reluctantly transferred full ownership to me. After that day, I was finally free to work on the business without friction, without arguments, without her. Every now and then, trying to leave the past behind and wanting to return to our previous mother-son relationship, I would visit her. But in return, I was met with “you’re going to fail”, “your idea's not unique enough”, “let me take over in 6 months, when you see you can’t do it”. So I thought to myself “if she wants to sacrifice our relationship, then fine. How am I supposed to forgive someone who drove me to a point of depression and continues to belittle me time and time again.” So I chose myself, my mental health, over a relationship I thought was no longer worth it.
My Values
From the start, I wanted to build something that feels genuine. I’m sick of all of these companies feeling very corporate, very salesy, and the last thing I want to do, is to just hop on trends for the sake of being “trendy”. I want to build something that you can be apart of. Somewhere where you can really see the impact of your support.
Be Part of the Story
Although I don’t exactly know where this path may lead, I know why I started — and I’m not stopping anytime soon. no matter how many broken machines, how many sleepless nights… I just want to make this work. Not driven by the willingness to keep going, but the refusal to give up. I’m proud to open my doors everyday just so you can be apart of my story. If you’ve read this far, thank you. Your support means more than you know.