Best friends open Bes.Teas Tea Stand in downtown IM
- EMILIE STEVENS, LEFT, and Kennedy Ashbacher have opened Bes.Teas Tea Stand, which serves boba tea, lotus energy drinks and flavored lemonades. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)
- BES.TEAS TEA STAND is at 407 Carpenter Ave. in Iron Mountain. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

EMILIE STEVENS, LEFT, and Kennedy Ashbacher have opened Bes.Teas Tea Stand, which serves boba tea, lotus energy drinks and flavored lemonades. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)
IRON MOUNTAIN — Friends Emilie Stevens and Kennedy Ashbacher realized a dream Wednesday when they opened Bes.Teas Tea Stand, a boba tea shop.
“We have been best friends for a long time, so that is where the name Bes.Teas comes from, everything is based on our friendship,” Stevens said.
Getting Bes.Teas Tea Stand up and running was a year in the making, they said.
“I just always enjoyed drinking boba tea and when I lived in Green Bay for awhile I had access to it,” Stevens said. “We did not have much up here and my friend and I talked about it and made it a real thing.”
Originally envisioned as a pop-up tea stand, Stevens said they fell into the Carpenter Avenue location when her mother and stepfather purchased the building.

BES.TEAS TEA STAND is at 407 Carpenter Ave. in Iron Mountain. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)
Before they could open, the future Bes.Teas Tea Stand shop received extensive plumbing updates and a vibrant new paint job. Behind the drop ceiling they discovered a classic metal ceiling they incorporated into the design.
“Everybody that has walked in just loves how colorful and fun it is,” Stevens said.
While the new shop was being fixed up, Stevens and Ashbacher operated Bes.Teas Tea Stand on a temporary license out of the kitchen at Venue 906, making their drinks available through DoorDash, and they quickly developed a following.
Boba tea, or bubble tea, is a milk tea that has bite-sized chewy tapioca pearls. Boba tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s and made its way to the United States in recent years, rapidly gaining popularity.
Bes.Teas Tea Stand serves brown sugar tapioca pearls that are a little chewier and not bursting like others in the area are serving.
One boba tea that emerged as a favorite on Bes.Teas Tea Stand’s first day was the Strawberry Matcha, with strawberry jam and strawberry boba.In demand as well was the Tiger, with brown sugar and whole milk.
Also available at Bes.Teas Tea Stand are lotus drinks. Stevens said they were the top seller when Bes.Teas Tea Stand was only on DoorDash. According to Stevens, lotus has about the same amount of caffeine as a Red Bull energy drink but is considered a healthier, plant-based alternative.
Stevens said that she likes to make the lotus drinks because she gets to be a mixologist as they come in a wide variety of flavor combinations.
In the coming days, Bes.Teas Tea Stand plans to offer salads, sandwiches and wraps from Venue 906.
It is not just a takeout shop — seating is available to come in and relax and enjoy the lively atmosphere. Stevens said they even have an area for children and also sell flavored lemonade, which the children really like.
Bes.Teas Tea Stand is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Orders can be done online at order.online/business/besteas-13020127 or through DoorDash.
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