Choosing a Supplier

Matcha comes from an agricultural product, so continuity of supply is the central question.

Channels

Tea wholesalers and merchants Access to information about origin and cultivar, and someone to consult. Small quantities are often possible.

Food distributors Ordered alongside other supplies. Broad catalogues, less depth on any one item.

Direct from manufacturers Opens the door to formulation discussions and OEM. Minimum orders can be large.

Online wholesale Easy to start. Limited scope for continuity guarantees or price negotiation.

Questions worth asking

Will the same product remain available? Matcha varies by harvest year and field. Ask whether blending holds the profile steady and how much lot-to-lot variation to expect.

How does pricing move? Japan's 2025 green tea exports roughly doubled in value, and raw material conditions are tight. Ask about revision frequency and advance notice.

Are specification sheets available? Ingredients, allergens, shelf life, storage. If a customer asks, you need to be able to answer.

Minimum order and lead time How much per order, how many days to delivery. Match that against what you can hold.

Can you sample it? Testing in the actual serving format is essential. Milk if it goes out with milk, ice if it goes out over ice.

Origin information

Uji and Kyoto function as brand marks internationally. The roughly fivefold unit price differential for Japanese green tea in the US market relative to Chinese green tea reflects that in part.

Material whose origin you can state gives you something to use on a menu or package.

Keep an alternative

Supply can tighten. Knowing a second option has value.

But switching changes the flavour, and customers notice. Understand the size of that difference in advance.