Why the World Is Running Short on Matcha

Over the past two years, demand for premium matcha has surged worldwide. Cafés, bakeries, and beverage brands are adding matcha to everything from espresso lattes to pastries and ice cream. But while consumption keeps climbing, production hasn’t caught up.

The reasons are structural. High-grade matcha can only be produced from tea plants grown under shade for several weeks before harvest, which is a process that requires skill, labor, and time. Many tea regions in Japan and China are also facing land-use limitations, labor shortages, and rising production costs. Add to that the pressure of climate change such as unpredictable rain, early frosts, and heatwaves that affect leaf quality and it’s easy to see why global supply is tightening.

As a result, many suppliers have reported inconsistent quality and smaller harvests. Prices for ceremonial and café-grade matcha have climbed sharply, and new buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure stable, year-round supply.

 

At Matchia, we saw this shift coming years ago. Instead of simply buying from existing producers, we began investing directly in tea farms and production infrastructure.

We co-own and co-develop farms with our partners. We not just purchase their tea but help them modernize: installing shading systems, precision irrigation, cold-storage facilities, and milling equipment. We also established our own tea farms to ensure long-term control over cultivation and post-harvest processes.

These efforts mean that when many suppliers are struggling to source high-quality matcha, our network is already producing at full capacity. Our vertically integrated system, from cultivation to milling and packaging, allows us to maintain consistency in freshness, color, and flavor, batch after batch.

 

Today, even amid global shortages, Matchia continues to deliver professional-grade matcha to cafés, restaurants, and brands worldwide. Our early investments weren’t about expanding quickly, they were about building resilience.

Because true quality and stability don’t come from reacting to market shortages.
They come from growing with foresight.