Top 10 Players in the Matcha Tea Market

The global matcha market entered 2025 under two clear themes: accelerating demand and acute supply pressure. Buyers and distributors are seeing premium segment expansion and new-format growth (functional beverages, culinary ingredients), while producers wrestle with constrained tencha harvests and rising raw-material prices. These dynamics make strategic choice of partners and clarity on where each supplier sits on quality, traceability and capacity a commercial imperative. Top 10 players in the Matcha Tea Market Ito En, Ltd. Ito En traces its origins to 1966, when its predecessor (Frontier Tea Corporation) was established in Shizuoka prefecture; the company adopted the name “Ito En” in 1969. Over the decades, Ito En pioneered packaged green tea (vacuum-packed, small quantities), enabling tea to move beyond specialist stores into supermarkets. 2025 highlight: In 2025, Ito En is expanding its global matcha and green tea operations, strengthening supply chains, securing raw materials, and forming partnerships to meet rising international demand.In September 2025, Ito En saw a surge in its overseas business: the company reported double digit profit growth in its first quarter, driven by a 60% jump in overseas green tea bag sales of its flagship Oi Ocha brand ; including a 44% increase in North America alone. Strategic Impact: Ito En’s market leadership in Japan, robust branded distribution, and proactive supply investments position it as a reliable partner for retailers and co-packers seeking scale and credibility. Marukyu Koyamaen Co., Ltd. Marukyu Koyamaen is one of the oldest, most prestigious tea producers in Japan. Its origins date back to 1704 in Uji (Kyoto) when its founder began tea cultivation ; establishing nearly 300 years of continuous tradition. It supplies matcha and other green teas to first-class hotels, temples, long-standing tea schools and gourmet outlets across Japan. 2025 highlight: Continued premium positioning out of Uji with selective allocations and price adjustments reflecting 2025 scarcity of high-grade tencha; focused on preservation of quality and ceremony-grade volumes. Strategic Impact: Marukyu Koyamaen’s heritage and ceremonial-grade expertise make it a key partner for premium product lines, luxury white-label offerings, and tea ceremony institutions. Aoi Tea Company (AOI) AOI (Aoi) traces its roots to a long tradition of matcha production in Japan and today operates as a large-volume manufacturer and private-label supplier with global wholesale operations. The business emphasises food-safety certifications (FSSC 22000, kosher, organic options), bulk and private-label supply, and B2B services for retail and foodservice customers. 2025 highlight: Growing wholesale and private-label volumes to meet overseas demand; promoting organic and bulk matcha offerings for foodservice and ingredient buyers. Recent market coverage positions AOI among producers ramping supply-side response. Strategic Impact: Century-plus experience in matcha processing and a strong B2B orientation make AOI a reliable sourcing option for large volume contracts and private-label formulations. Encha (Encha Life LLC) Encha was founded in 2014 by Dr. Li Gong, who began the company after tasting high-quality organic matcha from a farm in Uji, Japan, and seeking to make premium organic matcha accessible internationally. From inception, Encha has sourced directly from organic farms in the Uji mountains (Kyoto), offering ceremonial-grade and latte-grade matcha without additives, pesticides or artificial ingredients. 2025 highlight: As of early 2025, Encha continues to receive strong reviews for its bright-green, high-purity matcha. As of May 2025, a review noted its “pure and refined” matcha ; graded for ritual preparation or lattes, emphasised its transparency, traceability and no-additive policy. Given global demand for clean-label and organic offerings, Encha stands out for buyers seeking certified organic matcha, traceable sourcing, and premium positioning in wellness and specialty retail segmen Strategic Impact : DTC strength, clean-label positioning and repeatable supply of organic grades suit premium retail assortments and collaboration with wellness brands. Green Foods Corporation Green Foods Corporation, founded in 1979, has operated for more than four decades as a U.S.-based nutritional supplement manufacturer with a portfolio that includes matcha and other green-food powders. The company’s long tenure in the natural-health category gives it brand maturity compared with newer entrants, and its ongoing presence at industry events such as showcasing its Organic Matcha Green Tea line at Natural Products Expo West in March 2024 signals continued relevance and active market participation. 2025 highlight: Growth in functional ingredient sales and ingredient partnerships (matcha as antioxidant ingredient across foods and supplements). The company is increasingly visible to formulators seeking certified matcha inputs. Strategic Impact: Distribution into nutraceutical and ingredient channels which is useful for decision-makers sourcing matcha for multi-ingredient products such as supplements, bars and RTDs. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. The Hain Celestial Group began in 1993 as Hain Food Group and quickly established itself in natural and organic foods. Its defining moment came in 2000 with the acquisition of Celestial Seasonings, after which it rebranded as Hain Celestial, combining specialty-foods expertise with a strong foothold in the herbal-tea market. Over the years, the company expanded through multiple acquisitions, growing into a diversified natural-products manufacturer with an international presence. 2025 highlight: Portfolio moves and selective product launches that leverage matcha as a premium, functional ingredient within natural-foods SKUs. Hain’s retail channels remain valuable for scaling consumer adoption. Strategic Impact : Established natural-channel access and experience commercializing functional ingredients at scale make Hain relevant for national shelf presence and co-development. Unilever plc. Unilever plc, formed in 1929 through the merger of Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie, grew into a global consumer-goods leader and became a major force in the tea industry through the expansion of its Lipton brand. Over the decades, it strengthened its position with acquisitions and large-scale supply-chain development, making Lipton one of the world’s most recognized tea labels. 2025 highlight: Corporate interest in tea innovation and RTD formats; Unilever’s R&D and global distribution could accelerate mainstream matcha in beverage and impulse channels when activated. Strategic Impact: Unilever’s global go-to-market muscle and capability to convert matcha into mass RTD and flavored formats matter for retailers and co-packers hunting scale partners. Tata Consumer Products Limited Tata Consumer Products Limited began in 1962 as a tea- and plantation-focused enterprise before transitioning to a public company in 1963. Over time, it broadened its scope from tea manufacturing and packaging to a wider beverage portfolio, strengthening its position as a leading tea brand in India. A pivotal change came in February 2020, when Tata Global Beverages merged with Tata Chemicals’ consumer business and rebranded as Tata Consumer Products, unifying the Tata Group’s major food and beverage operations 2025 highlight: Strong 2024–25 performance in packaged tea and foods, and continued focus on premiumization and international growth in tea categories. Tata’s footprint and pricing discipline are material given volatility in tea prices. Strategic Impact: Major emerging-market distribution network, brand strength in South Asia, and procurement scale ; strategic for companies targeting South Asian consumers or seeking hedged sourcing. Ikeda Tea World Ikeda represents a family/estate producer tradition in Japan (notably Kagoshima), combining small-batch cultivation with artisanal processing. The Ikeda family’s tea activities span multiple generations and the business markets premium Kagoshima matcha and other green-tea products under brands such as Ikeda Senchado. 2025 highlight: Niche supplier specialization with focus on provenance storytelling and ceramics/ceremonial pairings that support premium channel narratives. Growing interest from boutique cafes and specialty retailers. Strategic Impact : Provenance and storytelling capabilities that elevate retail margins; useful for assortments that need authentic narratives and premium price points. Grace & Green Grace & Green is a Kyoto-sourced, organic-focused matcha brand that has positioned itself on authenticity and organic certification. The company markets premium organic matcha to international consumers via DTC channels and specialty retail, with content and brand storytelling that emphasise Kyoto provenance and small-lot quality. 2025 highlight: Boutique, Japan-sourced matcha offerings with direct shipping; brand traction in premium e-commerce and specialty retail. Their social proof and niche presence give them marketing leverage despite smaller scale. Strategic Impact: Strong alignment with premium, organic and craft trends appropriate for limited-edition SKUs, co-branded premium launches and experiential retail.