Press Kit

Gurpreet Paul is the Founder & CEO of ThirsTea USA, one of America's fastest-growing specialty beverage and boba tea franchise brands, and the author of The Franchise Mindset (2026). A 2026 Marquis Who's Who in America honoree, he has spent three decades building brands across PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and his own ventures.

Born in India, Gurpreet Paul immigrated to the United States in 2002 after earning his MBA from the Institute of Management Studies and beginning his career at Reckitt Benckiser and Pepsi Cola Co. He went on to spend thirteen years at The Coca-Cola Company — rising from channel manager to area development manager to sales manager — where he learned firsthand how a great brand maintains its standards at scale. In 2017 he founded Star-Buffet Chain, Digify Media Agency and an e-commerce venture, and served as President of Accelerated Services. In 2023 he founded ThirsTea USA, transforming the boba tea industry by addressing operational and service gaps, and building franchise systems, training protocols and brand standards before scale. Under his leadership, ThirsTea was ranked #47 on Entrepreneur magazine's Top 150 New Franchises and he was ranked #55 among Franchise Voice's Top 100 Influencers. In 2026 he was selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who in America, received The Global Icon of Impact Award for Excellence in Beverage & Franchising, and was featured by CIO World Magazine among the Top Most Iconic Founders & CEOs To Watch. His first book, The Franchise Mindset, chronicles the full journey with honesty — and a framework any entrepreneur can apply. He serves as President of the Asian Business Resource Group of Southern California, and lives and works in California.