In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz visited The Whale Tea in Milford Thursday.

The visit is part of an effort by Bysiewicz to highlight AAPI businesses throughout May and encourage people to visit them.

The Whale Tea, which serves Chinese-style boba teas, started with a location in New Haven and has since expanded to over 30 locations nationwide.

It's president says she started the business after realizing they couldn't find any store that sold the drink and wanted to bring a piece of her hometown of Taiwan to Connecticut.

"A lot of people are so excited to have the different kind of flavors especially tapioca. It's not something everyone has eaten before. They try it and they're so excited to try it for the first time and then they bring their friends and family to all of our stores," says May Lin.

Bysiewicz says the AAPI community is one of the fast growing ethnic communities in the state.