Locally Owned and Operated
(979)764-7249
We were founded by Katyla and Thomas Boykin on October 1, 1984. We are locally owned and operated by Abdul Motin. While Taste of the Tropics was sold to Abdul in 2021, the previous owners are still active with the business.
After graduating from Texas A&M University in May 1984 with an Agricultural Economics degree while Katyla was still attending A&M as a junior Computer Science major, Taste of the Tropics was born.
Thomas and Katyla married in July 1983. While honeymooning in Caracas, Venezuela (Katyla’s home country), the idea of making a fruit drink from the native Venezuelan fruits, which is a daily custom in many tropical countries, came to mind.
Thomas worked for Starr Produce Co. based in Rio Grande City, TX in the earlier years building up to graduation from A&M. It was there that he was greatly exposed to many varieties of fruit and vegetables. In addition to the exposure to the wide varieties of fruits from Katyla’s home country, it was a recipe for the creation of an “Americanized” fruit drink known to many Americans as a fruit smoothie.
Our belief is in having staff understand that they work with us and not for us. We take pride in the reality that all those who set foot to work in our shop become part of the Taste of the Tropics family.
We opened our little shop on October 1, 1984. We have always enjoyed making smoothies as a hobby and loved to experiment with different flavors. Often, we would try out some of our favorite flavors at parties where our friends could enjoy them. They were always super excited to see what we had come up with and occassionally encouraged us to share them with the world, so here we are. Come by and see us at Post Oak Mall in College Station, Texas.
With financial assistance from Katyla’s father, Juan Carmona, Taste of the Tropics opened in Post Oak Mall on Oct 1, 1984. After several years of Thomas and Katyla operating the shop with an average of 10 employees on staff, their son Brandon was born in 1991 (A&M Class of 2013) and daughter Kensey born in 1995 (A&M Class of 2016).
Their help was much needed during their high school and college careers as Taste of the Tropics was becoming very popular. Throughout its time, Taste of the Tropics’ staff was made up of relatives attending A&M as well as mostly A&M and Blinn college students.
Taste of the Topics has enjoyed being recognized for their smoothies over the years: earning the “Best of the Brazos Valley” title, being considered one of Urban Spoon’s “Best College Station Restaurants”, and receiving The Eagle’s “Reader’s Choice Award".
Our daughter, Kensey Boykin, became a huge asset to us as she decided to partner with her father in 2016 while at the same time attending Mays Business School at A&M, earning her graduate degree in Human Resources. With her leadership and people skills, business achieved its highest sales volume ever.
After Kensey’s departure for the corporate world in 2019, it was time for Taste of the Tropics Inc. to be passed on to another family to continue Taste of the Tropics’ successful legacy.
1500 Harvey Rd,
College Station, TX 77840
(979) 764-7249
Monday - Saturday
10 AM - 9 PM
Sunday
12 PM - 6 PM