Matcha is booming not just in Japan but around the world—so much so that it’s now in short supply. Major tea company Ito En has announced it will raise matcha prices by up to double.
Foreign tourists in Japan are loving it:
Matcha is especially popular overseas. In New York, a café that opened last year says its top seller is matcha latte. Matcha parfaits and other desserts are also popular. Even Korean convenience stores now carry matcha products.
Exports of green tea (including matcha) have hit record highs for five straight years, and now more than 10% of Japan’s production goes abroad. As a result, Japan is now facing a serious domestic shortage of matcha.
Ito En is raising prices—matcha for tea ceremonies will go from ¥3,024 to ¥4,536. Regular green tea will also go up slightly.
Production is also changing. At one tea farm in Yame, Fukuoka, nearly all the tea plants are now used to make tencha, the raw material for matcha. This used to be just 30%, but has been expanded to 70%. However, further expansion is difficult due to equipment limits.
There are other challenges too—many farmers are aging, and total tea farming land has shrunk by about 20% in the last 10 years. Maintaining supply and demand balance will be a key issue moving forward.
by MagazineKey4532