Our Matcha Story

We didn’t start as tea people, we started as coffee people. Mornings meant coffee, no questions asked. Afternoons usually meant another. “Let’s grab a coffee” was the default phrase with friends or coworkers, almost second nature. Coffee was comforting, but it came with highs and lows: the jitters, the crashes, and the restless nights, especially if I dared to drink it past 2 p.m. Still, there never seemed to be a real alternative strong enough to sway our coffee habit.
 
Then we discovered matcha. Of course, matcha had always been around before my time and it wasn’t new but suddenly it began showing up everywhere. More cafés offered it, menus started listing matcha lattes and desserts, and little by little, the word matcha crept into our vocabulary. Unimaginable a few years earlier, yet here it was.
 
Like so many others, we found ourselves visiting Japan in the years after COVID. With borders reopened and the yen at historic lows, Japan felt both closer and more inviting than ever. And there, matcha wasn’t just a trendy option, it was part of daily life. From quiet tea houses to bustling convenience stores, from centuries-old ceremonies to playful modern lattes, matcha was everywhere. It felt less like a drink and more like a lens into Japanese culture.
 
Back home, whisking matcha became a way to hold onto those memories. A sip could bring back the quiet of Kyoto, the buzz of a Tokyo café, the warmth of Japanese hospitality… and, more than anything, a reminder to slow down and enjoy the moment. And then the unthinkable happened: matcha eventually replaced coffee.
 
As our love grew, we noticed something troubling. In North America, matcha didn’t feel the same. There was no clear standard, no transparency into quality or origin. Teas online were often overpriced for what you got, and worse, many came from unknown sources. That realization sparked the beginning of Midorico, our way of sharing the authentic, vibrant matcha we fell in love with in Japan.  This is a journey for us starting with roots in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with our partners rooted directly and throughout in Japan.  Together, with you, we are excited for the ride to start!