Sama Sama, which means togetherness in Tagalog, is staying true to its name as it unites people one boba drink at a time.
It all started with co-owner Lalaine Ignao’s dream of opening her own boba shop in middle school. Throughout the years, that aspiration never wavered, and what really pushed Ignao — along with her fiancé and co-owner Eric Ganding — to start the business was the passing of her grandma. They wanted to open the biz as an ode to her grandparents’ memory.
Thus, Sama Sama officially opened in May 2021 — first as a pop-up stand, which transitioned into a food truck. Sama Sama also opened its own café at Leeward Community College and wants to make sure people know that it’s open to the general public.
Sama Sama is known for Filipino-inspired boba, coffee and desserts. Bestselling items include ube milk tea, calamansi green tea and buko pandan milk tea. Its 16-ounce drinks are $6.50 and 24-ounce beverages are $9, with additional costs for toppings. Popular toppings include boba, halo halo and leche flan.
“All of our syrups are made in-house,” says Ignao. “We use the actual ingredients, so people are able to tell the difference.”
Ignao and Ganding get their Barako coffee straight from the Philippines and serve it as a cold brew. Customers can add their choice of milk and flavor — popular options are ube, chocolate, leche flan and pandan.
Sama Sama also offers delectable desserts ($10 each) like halo halo —which boasts beans, fruits, jellies, leche flan, ube ice cream, shaved ice, milk and, of course, boba — mais con yelo, iskrambol and buko pandan (Ganding’s favorite).
They recently started serving taho ($6.50), which is a silken tofu dessert served with their brown sugar syrup and boba.
“What we really wanted to do was highlight our Filipino culture,” says Ignao. “Eric and I are very proud to be Filipino.”
Sama Sama also offers catering options. Follow @samasamatea on Instagram for more info.
“It’s more than just a boba shop for us,” says Ganding. “We want to make people feel welcomed. We want to make people feel at home.”
Sama Sama
Various locations (follow on social media for updates)
Instagram: @samasamatea
How to order: In person or via catering/fundraising
How to pay: Cash, credit cards and Apple Pay/Samsung Pay
