Matcha from China vs Japan: a guide for wholesale buyers

Three of the European trade suppliers we checked state China as the origin of their matcha: Made in Thé in France (Guizhou province, marked "Non-EU agriculture" under its organic logo), L’île aux épices in France and My Bubble Tea Pro, a bubble-tea trade supplier. A B2B marketplace, Torg, also showed a "ceremonial grade" listing from China in search results.

Some of these products are packed in France or Germany, so the brand address on the pack is European while the tea is not. Starbucks, asked by Tasting Table in 2024, said it sourced shade-grown milled green tea from Korea, Japan and China, which shows that large buyers mix origins too.

In search results only, the Torg marketplace listed a Chinese "ceremonial" 1 kg at €100 and a Yame (Japan) ceremonial 1 kg at €200, both EXW. Its pages blocked automated reading, so treat these as unverified.

In the published prices we found, yes. The two lowest pure-matcha prices, €35.90 and €39.90 per kg ex VAT, are for Made in Thé’s matcha stated as Chinese. The cheapest Japanese-origin matcha with a full published price was Hojicha Wholesale’s 3rd-flush culinary at €79 per kg ex VAT. Kyosun quotes "from €35/kg" for Japanese matcha, but without naming the grade or VAT basis.

Price alone does not tell you what you are buying, because grade words are not standardised in either country. A Chinese "AAA" and a Japanese "culinary" are seller labels, not shared standards. Compare on harvest, cultivar, colour and a specification sheet, then on price.

Under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, the country of origin must be shown where leaving it out could mislead consumers about the true origin, for example when a pack carries a Japanese name or imagery but the tea comes from elsewhere. A European packer’s address on its own is not an origin claim.

Organic matcha has its own rule. Under Regulation (EU) 2018/848, products with the EU organic logo must state where the agricultural raw materials were farmed: "EU Agriculture", "non-EU Agriculture" or "EU/non-EU Agriculture". That is why Made in Thé’s page reads "Non-EU agriculture". The phrase tells you the tea is not from the EU, not which country it is from.

If you sell under your own brand, the origin wording becomes your responsibility. Our private label guide covers what else goes on the pack.

Ask the same questions whether the supplier says China or Japan, and get the answers in writing.

1. Country and region of growing on the specification sheet, not just on the website.
2. Import documents for your batch, such as the commercial invoice and certificate of origin.
3. Harvest or flush, cultivar and milling method. Alveus, for example, states summer-to-autumn picking and cyclonic mills for a product it sells as ceremonial.
4. A batch certificate of analysis covering pesticides against EU maximum residue levels, heavy metals and microbiology. Only Kyosun names its tests online.
5. The organic certificate, with the control-body code, for each product rather than the company as a whole.

For Big Moca, the origin stated is Japan for its Ceremonial Matcha. For its culinary and vending matcha, ask for the specification sheet as you would with any supplier. Big Moca is IFS Broker certified, and a 30 g ceremonial sample costs €10. If price per kilo is your main question, the bulk matcha price index lists every published figure by grade.