At the International Café & Beverage Show (ICBS) in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, T Hospitality met Sho Kato, founder of the Japan Matcha Export Organization — a young company that perfectly reflects how the global rise of matcha is creating new entrepreneurial opportunities across Asia.
Still in his twenties and having launched the company immediately after graduation in 2024, Kato represents a new generation of tea entrepreneurs — one that combines deep cultural roots with a modern understanding of branding, global communication, and consumer education.
Coming from a family closely connected to Japanese tea ceremony and matcha traditions, Kato grew up surrounded by the rituals and values behind one of Japan’s most iconic products. But while traveling and observing the international rise of matcha, he noticed something important: global demand was exploding faster than global understanding.
Today, matcha appears everywhere — from cafés and luxury hotels to desserts, cocktails, and wellness concepts — yet many consumers still struggle to distinguish between ceremonial and industrial grades, or to understand the craftsmanship and history behind authentic Japanese matcha.
“I saw a gap in the market,” Kato explained during ICBS. “Matcha has become incredibly popular worldwide, but the stories, people, and traditions behind it are often missing.”
That realization became the foundation of the Japan Matcha Export Organization.
Rather than positioning itself simply as an exporter, the company acts as a cultural and commercial bridge between Japanese tea producers and international hospitality operators, distributors, and buyers. Its mission is not only to facilitate trade, but also to preserve authenticity in a market increasingly shaped by hype, social media trends, and aggressive commercialization.
“In recent years, matcha has gained enormous global attention thanks to growing interest in health and sustainability,” Kato said. “But at the same time, there is a risk that the real meaning and heritage behind matcha become diluted.”
The Japan Matcha Export Organisation offers different grades of matcha from various tea-growing regions of Japan, guiding their customers through the culture and traditions of matcha. Kato goes to great lengths to demonstrate the differences between grades, in terms of colour, texture and flavour of the powders, thereby showcasing the value of high-grade matcha.
For Kato, authenticity is becoming one of the most valuable assets in his company, as its mission statement says:
“Our goal is not to let matcha remain just a passing “trend,” but to share its genuine value — including the culture, history, and individuals behind it — with care and integrity. We are committed to telling the real story of matcha, a tradition Japan is truly proud of.”
The Japan Matcha Export Organization is an example of the new possibilities emerging within the tea industry. Across Asia, a younger generation of entrepreneurs is building businesses not only around products, but also around education, storytelling, sourcing transparency, and cultural identity.
And as matcha continues its global expansion, authenticity may become one of the industry’s most valuable ingredients.
