It all started back in 2011 when Maria Aimee Chua, who grew up in Metro Manila, was then craving for a milk tea store in Ilocos Norte. Growing up in Manila, she had tons of options for here favorite, the milk tea. Back then, Ilocos Norte had did not have a single milk tea place that actually served real tea. It was during this time that spouses Hanson and Aimee decided to try different milk tea places in Manila to check which one had the best tasting milk tea without actually taking the prices into consideration. This was because both believed that quality and taste should be the most important requirements for the said business. After finding the Sharetea master franchise, they decided to invite a few friends and relatives to join this business venture. With a degree, and experiences, in Hotel and Restaurant International Management tucked under Aimee’s belt, and with Hanson’s years of experience in running successful, multiple business ventures in Ilocos Norte, many partners believed that this was a sound investment to say the least.

And so in June of 2012, Blue  Banana acquired the Sharetea franchise and opened its doors to the public. To this date, Sharetea Ilocos as we popularly call it, still hold the record of having the second highest opening day sales of 900 cups in the Philippines. In its almost seven (7) years of existence, many different milk tea brands and stores have already decided to follow and put up shop, and many have already closed as well. The niche market is so small, and the consumers are becoming more and more demanding as they have already learned more knowledge about the milk tea product.

Being the pioneer in the niche market that is milk tea, Blue Banana is very proud that its quality has not waivered. In fact, its quality has become better than ever. This is clearly shown in the last 24 months performance of Sharetea Ilocos. More and more people keep coming back, it has literally become a household name, and is still the most sought-after milk tea place in Ilocos Norte. The company strongly believes that initial number of customers are not really too relevant. The most important basis of success is how many customers actually keep coming back for more.