The excitement was palpable last Tuesday night as crowds lined up under the tent outside 12B Conant Square as if they were waiting to get into Brandon’s newest exclusive club. The doorman was a kindly older gentleman who explained that they were only expecting about 30 people and instead got more than twice that many RSVPs — and most of those had brought an additional couple of people with them. 

Inside, the graceful double-height space next to the bookstore and across from Dunkin’ was soon packed with people. They eagerly watched as a woman with a beautiful butterfly tattoo on her neck, Leah Sigall, mixed unusually delicious chilled beverages while another woman with a colorful floral headband started to tell us about her dream. 

Casie Yoder was excited to share her vision for a new space for chilled drinks to add to the already interesting mix of businesses in downtown Brandon. 

But when Casie first visited the area, she wasn't just looking for a place to open a “bubble tea” or boba shop.

She was looking for a community.

"I wanted a rural community surrounded by forests and water, with progressive politics," she said. "Several people told me, 'You should visit Vermont.'"

Three years later, that search has led her to Brandon, where she is preparing to open a café inspired by her mother's Filipino heritage, her Southern upbringing, and her years spent working in hospitality.

"Brandon is super duper cute," she said with a laugh. "I got lucky."

Born in Manila, Philippines, Casie spent part of her childhood in Atlanta, Georgia, where Filipino traditions blended naturally with Southern hospitality. She remembers the influence of Atlanta's Southern culture just as vividly as the flavors like ube, pandan, and coconut with which she was raised.

Her menu is like a journey through her life — not only her past, but also her present life in Vermont.

One of her signature opening drinks is a Cherry Coke-inspired creation using French cherry syrup from Maison Routin and the Coca Cola from her Atlanta childhood, while her bubble tea reflects a Vermont influence. Instead of relying solely on the traditional brown sugar recipe for tapioca pearls, she incorporates Vermont maple syrup.

"Because it's Vermont," she said simply.

Her favorite drink remains an Earl Grey milk tea, made with freshly brewed tea rather than powdered mixes.

"I found that the New England boba scene didn't have the quality and standard that I hold for properly brewed tea and cooked tapioca pearls," she said.

To perfect her craft, Casie attended what she affectionately calls "boba school" in New Jersey with her friend Leah before beginning to develop recipes of her own. At boba school, she was able to delve into the history of boba, from its roots in Chinese tea culture to the development of the iced tea plus milk and sugar with the brown sugar tapioca pearls, or “boba,” that was created in Taiwan in the 1980s and exported along Asian diasporic routes to mostly coastal areas with large Asian populations. 

The café will also serve specialty coffee, including cold brew made from South American beans, along with snacks that reflect both Asian and local flavors. Casie hopes to partner with licensed home cooks to create unique baked goods and desserts featuring Asian ingredients and Vermont maple syrup. She is also exploring collaborations with nearby businesses.

She later earned a degree in journalism with a political science minor, interned with the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C., worked in local government, and eventually ran her own communications consulting business. But throughout those career changes, one dream remained constant.

"I've wanted to open a boba shop for about five years."

For Casie, though, the drinks are only part of the story.

Having worked as a Starbucks barista in the early 2000s — "before everything became automated," she recalled — she learned that coffee and tea shops are as much about community as beverages.

She hopes the Brandon café will become what many small-town gathering places once were: somewhere people naturally spend time together.

She envisions book clubs gathered around French presses, knitting circles, mahjong games, chess matches — the chessboard is already built into one of the tables — and language conversation groups with themed drinks.

"[Bubble Bubble] will be a place where remote workers can work, people can have meetings, kids can come after school, and retirees can meet up," she said.

The upstairs space is also being renovated for birthday parties, graduation celebrations, and community events. Renovations including expanded water capacity and an additional restroom are planned over the coming months.

"With an old historic building," she said, "there may still be surprises."

Like many newcomers to Brandon, Casie says she became part of the community simply by showing up.

She attended trivia nights at the library, volunteered at festivals, joined the downtown business alliance, and met people wherever she could — including the building's owner, Erica Zimmer, while waiting in line at the bakery.

"I slipped right into the community through my aggressive friendliness," she joked.

That sense of welcome is something she hopes to return.

The café's mission, she said, is "to provide high-quality, delicious drinks that you can't find anywhere else — and create a space for the community."

To help launch the business, Casie has started a Kickstarter campaign with a $30,000 goal. Beyond raising money, she says a successful campaign will demonstrate community support to potential lenders. One popular reward offers contributors a free birthday drink every year during their birthday month.

Casie plans to have the shop open Thursday through Sunday from noon until 8 p.m., with hours expanding as the business grows.

Casie is still working full time in a job that requires out-of-state travel but hopes the café will eventually allow her to spend more of her time in Vermont, with which she has definitely fallen in love. So much so that when her father, Chris Yoder, retired, Casie was able to convince him to move to Brandon also. Since arriving six months ago, Chris has thrown himself into helping Casie with the start up process. At the Kickstarter event, Chris greeted guests and made sure to get names and contact info. When she isn't working, Casie enjoys hiking with her two dogs and dreams of adding more animals to the family someday.

"I'd love donkeys," she said. "And maybe a rescued pet pig."

In many ways, her café will reflect the same blend of influences that shaped her own journey — from Manila to Atlanta to Vermont — bringing together Asian traditions, Southern hospitality, and Vermont's emphasis on local ingredients and community.

For Brandon, it offers something increasingly rare: not just a new business, but a new place to gather.

To read more about the kickstarter, click here.