Lily Charkow, Arts & Life Editor –
What started as a simple question posed by a curious student eventually became a popular business serving the campus community with sweet drinks and collectable tumblers.
TruCha Boba, located on the third floor of Slayter Student Union, is a beloved spot in Denison’s community. It is not uncommon to see a long line of students trailing behind the TruCha register. TruCha is so popular that it is hard to imagine Denison’s campus without the boba shop. But that was Charlie Kuchler’s ‘26 experience when he first toured Denison.
Kuchler was disappointed to find a lack of boba shops in the Granville area. “I was surprised to find out that the nearest legit boba shop was gonna be in Columbus. So that’s kind of where that idea started sprouting from,” said Kuchler.
He was not the only person interested in the idea of a boba shop on campus. Many other students were fond of the idea, such as Truc Hoang ‘26, the co-founder of TruCha. She first heard the idea at a Red Frame Lab seminar. At the end of the seminar, the speaker asked the attending students if they had any business ideas. Kuchler shared his idea of a boba shop.
“When he shared that idea, I’ve always had that idea in mind as well because coming from Asia I’ve always had a big passion for drinking boba tea and going to Denison there’s just not a lot of that around campus,” said Hoang. After that seminar, Hoang and Kuchler formed a partnership. They made the name by combining “Tru” from Truc Hoang’s name and “Cha” from Charlie Kuchler’s name.
However, Hoang and Kuchler faced some challenges in the opening of TruCha.
“It was really challenging at first because Charlie and I were newer at this,” said Hoang. This was the first time either of them were operating a business.
Nevertheless, Hoang and Kuchler were able to overcome this burden. Hoang and Kuchler worked closely with Rick Coplin, the associate director of the Red Frame Lab. He assisted them with matters such as branding, marketing, and advertising. Luckily, someone working for the former food provider was enthusiastic about the idea and helped them get their shop going.
“The third floor has that ambience of study, coffee shop, gather with friends. It’s a very playful space” said Kuchler. The store opened in March of 2023 and has been on a steady rise since. From a small staff of their friends, they have blossomed into a legitimate business.
Last semester, TruCha launched reusable cups for sustainability purposes. In many businesses in the food and beverage industry, the waste of single-use plastic is prevalent. For TruCha, there were many customers who were consistently ordering from the business. TruCha made the decision to launch a reusable glass tumbler.
Both Hoang and Kuchler are expecting to graduate in 2026, so what will happen to TruCha then? Hoang and Kuchler both want to keep their business alive after they leave Denison’s campus.
TruCha Boba is open 2-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.