News article

Kagoshima Expands Matcha Processing Capacity to Build Brand and Capture Value in Global Boom

Kagoshima is expanding matcha processing capacity with two major facilities—one by JA Kagoshima producing 300 tonnes annually and another by Oohashi Seicha (100 tonnes) opening in March 2028—to capture value currently lost to out-of-prefecture outsourcing. Though Kagoshima ranks first nationally in raw-tea production, its finished-tea exports (129.5 billion yen in 2024) trail Shizuoka by nine-tenths. Matcha demand has surged globally, but local processing plants cannot keep p…

Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima · 2026-10-18

目指せ「日本一のお茶どころ」――鹿児島県内で抹茶加工施設の整備進む認知度を上げて付加価値向上へ - 南日本新聞

Photograph: Minami-Nippon Shimbun — Tea / Kagoshima

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Key points

JA Kagoshima broke ground on a 300-tonne-per-year matcha facility; Oohashi Seicha's 100-tonne plant slated for March 202…
Kagoshima's 2024 finished-tea shipment value (129.5 billion yen) is less than one-tenth of Shizuoka's; matcha processing…
Global matcha boom has created backlog at out-of-prefecture processors; in-house capacity allows Kagoshima to brand prod…
Kagoshima holds 50% national share of late-season tea (third flush onward); roughly 30% of raw tea exported as unprocess…
National brand recognition of Kagoshima tea stands at ~40%; per-household annual green-tea spending in Kagoshima city (3…

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The numbers

JA matcha facility annual production: 年約３００トン Oohashi Seicha factory annual production: 年１００トン Kagoshima total matcha production (current): 年４００トン Kagoshima finished-tea shipment value, 2024: ¥12.95 billion

What they said

“Within the domestic market, Kagoshima is at a distance disadvantage from major consumption centers, but for overseas export, location makes no difference. It is wasteful to let profits flow outside the prefecture.”

国内市場だけ見れば鹿児島は大消費地から遠く不利だが、海外に出すならどこからでも同じ。県外に利益を渡すのはもったいない

“If the brand power of Kagoshima tea rises, the added value of locally produced tea will increase.”

鹿児島産のブランド力が上がれば、地元農家が作ったお茶の付加価値も高まる

“Shizuoka has built a regional consensus that 'tea means Shizuoka.' Only by leading in consumption volume can we claim to be truly number one in Japan.”

静岡は『お茶といえば静岡だ』という意識が地域全体に広がっている。消費量もトップになってこそ真の日本一だ