The new matcha flooding coffee shops

Jeffrey Cesari grew up eating ube, a purple yam native to the Philippines, whenever he visited his relatives there. But seven months ago, when he encountered it in a latte at a Turkish cafe, it suddenly sparked a business idea. The 31-year-old former auditor thought if people in Istanbul were drinking ube lattes, he could launch a similar product in his hometown of Paris. But in joining a growing global hunt for ube, whose signature violet hue has taken over social media in drinks, cakes, and other sweets, Cesari realized that the actual root vegetable was much more elusive, particularly…