1. Decide what the matcha is for
The single most useful thing you can tell a supplier is what the matcha goes into. A latte with oat milk, a straight usucha, a soft serve base, a croissant. Each one needs a different leaf, and the price difference between them is three to five times.
| Use | What matters | Grade to ask for | Typical price (USD / kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot and iced lattes | Colour that survives milk, umami, low bitterness | Café grade, shaded, first or second harvest | $160 – 240 |
| Usucha, matcha americano, tea service | Aroma, sweetness, fine particle, no astringency | Ceremonial, first harvest | $240 – 350 |
| Signature drink, competition, retail tins | Single cultivar, hand-picked, stone-milled | Top ceremonial | $400 – 550 |
| Baking, ice cream, sauces, bubble tea | Strong flavour at 3–5 % dosage, price | Culinary, later harvest | $100 – 160 |
One good café grade and one ceremonial covers 90 percent of menus. Do not buy a $500 matcha to hide under oat milk and a pump of vanilla.
2. Read the spec sheet, not the bag
Grade names are marketing. Ceremonial has no legal definition anywhere in the world. Ask for four lines and you will know more than the label can tell you:
- Harvest. First (April–May), second (June–July) or autumn. First harvest has the most theanine, the sweetness and the deepest green.
- Shading. Days under cover before picking, usually 20 to 30 for tencha. Shading is what makes matcha matcha; unshaded leaf milled fine is green tea powder, not matcha.
- Cultivar. Yabukita, Saemidori, Okumidori, Yutakamidori, Asatsuyu, Samidori. A blend is fine; the word tells you the supplier knows what is in the bag.
- Mill and particle size. Stone, ball or jet mill, and the D50 in microns. Under about 10 µm foams and suspends well.
Add the origin (prefecture and, ideally, the town), the milling date, and the certificates the mill holds. Every product page on this site lists all of it, which is the standard we think buyers should hold everyone to.
3. Sample three, side by side
Never buy from a photo. Ask for two or three samples of 20 g or more, and taste them the way you will serve them: the same milk, the same syrup, the same ice. Judge three things: colour after 20 minutes on the counter, bitterness at the finish, and how easily it whisks or shakes without lumps. A matcha that looks brilliant dry and turns olive in the cup is the most common disappointment in wholesale, and the one a sample catches.
Sample fees are normal and usually credited to the first order. Ours are three samples for a flat fee, shipped in about three days, credited against your first order of 5 kg or more.
4. Understand the quote: FOB, DDP, tiers
A wholesale quote from Japan should be a price per kilogram at a stated incoterm, valid for a stated period. Two you will see:
- FOB Osaka (or EXW). The price covers the matcha, packed, handed to the carrier in Japan. You pay freight, your country's duty and VAT, and any broker. Best for buyers with a forwarder, or over about 100 kg where sea freight makes sense.
- DDP (delivered duty paid). One number, matcha plus freight plus duty plus tax, to your door. Best for cafés ordering 1–30 kg by courier, because there is nothing to arrange and no surprise invoice from the courier.
Volume tiers are normal: a base price to about 20 kg, a few percent off to 50 or 100 kg, and a negotiated price above that. Ask whether the price is fixed for the harvest year on a standing order; a supplier who says yes has the lot in a warehouse, not on a wish list. Quotes in USD are standard; some Japanese mills quote in yen, which shifts the exchange risk to you.
5. MOQ and lead time
Minimums have come down. Most Japanese exporters now start at 1 to 5 kg, in 1 kg foil bags or 100 g foil bags; some certified lines still have a 10 kg minimum because the mill runs them in batches. Lead time is where suppliers differ most: leaf that is already milled and in stock ships in a few days, leaf that is milled to order takes one to two weeks, and anything custom (private label, a specific cultivar) takes four to eight. Ask which of the three you are buying. Our stock lots ship in three business days; made-to-order lots in seven to ten.
6. Payment, shipping and customs
Payment by card, bank transfer or Wise against an invoice is standard; 100 percent up front for a first order, then terms. Under about 30 kg, air courier from Osaka reaches North America, Europe and Australia in four to seven days and Southeast Asia in three to five. Above about 100 kg, sea freight LCL is a fraction of the cost and takes three to six weeks. Our wholesale page shows the courier estimates by region.
Customs is simpler than most buyers fear. Unflavoured green tea (HS 0902) is duty-free at the standard rate in the United States, the EU, the UK, Canada and Australia; VAT or GST may apply on import. The paperwork the exporter must send with every shipment: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of analysis, and any organic or halal certificates. For the US, an FDA prior notice must be filed before the shipment lands, and the exporter's facility must be FDA-registered; we do both. For organic claims in the US, an NOP import certificate is required since 2024. See our US import guide for the details.
7. Storage and shelf life
Matcha is a fine powder with a lot of surface area and it oxidises. Unopened, nitrogen-flushed foil bags keep for 12 months at room temperature and longer chilled. Once opened, keep the bag sealed, cold and dark, and use it within four to six weeks. Buy in 100 g or 1 kg bags sized to your throughput rather than one big bag: a café doing 30 lattes a day uses about 2 kg a month.
Red flags
- Ceremonial grade under about $80 per kg, or any grade without a harvest and shading on the spec sheet.
- No milling date. Matcha milled eight months ago is a different product from matcha milled last week.
- A supplier who will not name the prefecture, or names Uji for everything.
- Certificates in the supplier's name that were actually issued to the mill. Certificates belong to the facility that holds them; ask to see the certificate itself.
- No sample, or a sample that arrives in a different bag from the product.
If you want a second opinion on a quote you already have, send it to us. We will tell you honestly whether it is fair, even if the answer is that you should keep your current supplier.
Questions buyers ask
What is the minimum order for wholesale matcha from Japan?
It varies by exporter, typically 1 to 10 kg. Our minimum is 1 kg for most lots (100 g × 10 or a 1 kg bulk bag); a few certified Halal and Kosher lots have a 10 kg minimum because the mill runs them in batches.
What does matcha cost wholesale?
In 2026, roughly $100–160 per kg for culinary, $160–240 for café grade, $240–350 for ceremonial and $400–550 for top single-cultivar lots, FOB Japan. Anything called ceremonial below about $80 per kg deserves questions.
FOB or DDP, which should a café choose?
For courier orders of 1–30 kg, DDP: one price to your door, no courier invoice for duty and tax later. For pallets and sea freight, FOB with your own forwarder is usually cheaper.
How long does shipping from Japan take?
By air courier from Osaka: 4–7 days to North America, Europe and Australia, 3–5 days to Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Sea freight for 100 kg and up takes 3–6 weeks.
Do I need an import licence to buy matcha?
In most countries, no licence is needed to import tea for a café or shop, but there are registrations: the exporter's facility must be FDA-registered for the US, and importers in Canada and Singapore need a food import licence. Organic claims need certificates on both ends. We flag anything your country needs before we invoice.
