News article
Matcha boom masks supply challenges; producers face sustainability questions as prices surge and counterfeit imports grow
Japanese green tea exports are on track to double year-over-year in 2025, driven by global matcha latte demand, but prices are soaring and cheaper overseas imitations are entering the market. A Kyoto-Uji tea merchant warns that producers must sustain tencha production after the boom subsides, and that domestic brands must compete on quality and terroir rather than volume or price to remain competitive over the next 10–20 years. The government has begun registering Japanese te…
抹茶ブーム、飲み比べてわかったこと 読者と考えた今後の日本茶 - 朝日新聞
Key points
- Japanese green tea exports tracking toward 2× YoY growth in 2025, with prices rising sharply amid global matcha latte po…
- Cheap foreign-produced and counterfeit matcha products increasing market share as competition intensifies
- Tea merchants warn current boom may be temporary; long-term sustainability depends on tencha producers maintaining quali…
- MAFF registering Japanese tea under GI (geographical indication) protections in July to safeguard domestic terroir and b…
- Premium single-origin producers can sustain competitive advantage 10–20 years by competing on quality and heritage, not…
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About this article
The numbers
Japanese green tea export growth: 2025年で前年比倍増の勢い
What they said
“The boom will eventually fade. The real question is whether producers can continue making tencha properly after it does, and whether consumers will still have access to genuine Japanese matcha”
ブームはいつか去る。はじけた先に、生産者がてん茶（抹茶の原料）をきちんと作り続けられるか、消費者が日本の抹茶を飲める状況を作り続けられるかが問題
“If you protect your brand and compete on quality rather than price or volume, you won't lose for 10 to 20 years”
価格や生産量で勝負せずに、ブランドを守り、品質で勝負すれば10～20年は負けない
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