Global matcha tea shortage driving up prices in B.C.
As global demand for the popular matcha tea beverage grows, producers in Japan have been unable to keep up, leading to a worldwide shortage and price increases, which are being felt by B.C. cafés and importers.
Matcha tea refers to a particular kind of green tea, originally from Japan, that is shade-grown, which makes it vibrantly green. Once the young leaves are picked, they're de-stemmed and de-veined, then dried and ground to a very fine powder.
The drink and its distinctive green hue have been a trendy choice on social media, where hundreds of thousands of people have watched matcha preparation videos. The green tea is now a regular fixture on café menus.
But as popularity for matcha tea has boomed, experts say production capacity in Japan hasn't kept up, leading to a shortage that has been driving up prices since last year.B.C.-based cafés and matcha importers say consumers will likely feel the pinch, and prices could go up further as the harvest season for matcha begins in spring.
"I'm waiting with bated breath," said Jared Nyberg, who runs tea wholesaler JagaSilk in Victoria. "Harvest season is almost upon us. It's the May, June, time period where we start to see a lot more of what we're going to have to pay for these things."
Nyberg said there were some "pretty significant price increases" last year for the teas and that prices could even double in the next few months.
Elliott Graham of Superbolt Tea says that he sources his matcha directly from Japanese producers, but many consumers who rely on wholesalers or resellers can expect to pay much higher prices. (Hunter Soo/CBC)
Elliott Graham, who owns the Vancouver café Superbolt Tea, said he's had to turn to multiple sources of matcha tea in order to keep up with the demand of his hundreds of daily customers.
"The challenge there is how much you can actually secure from these farmers," he said. "And I'd say the end consumer is getting hit the hardest.
"There's a scarce supply of matcha at the moment," he added. "So we're seeing a lot, sort of, of ... people are like reselling matcha, and selling it at a higher price."
The café owner said that prices could be marked up by as much as 40 per cent by wholesalers and as much as 150 per cent by resellers.
Elliott Graham of Superbolt Tea prepares a matcha drink using a traditional process involving a sieve and whisks. (Hunter Soo/CBC)
Production bottlenecks
John Harrison, the CEO of tea importers Andrews and George Co. and the DōMatcha brand, said that over the last five years, the export volumes of matcha tea from Japan had grown by 115 per cent.
He said that the shortage has been a phenomenon since the latter half of 2024 and attributed it to production bottlenecks in Japan, with many of the farms being operated by families and seniors.
"The issue for them is based on an imbalance between production and product," he told CBC News. "And so they have the inventory, they just don't have the mechanism and the volume in terms of the machinery."
The distinctive green hue of matcha tea is due to the specific tea leaves chosen for the process, which are shade-grown. (Hunter Soo/CBC)
Harrison says he estimates that it'll take Japanese producers a year or two to catch up with demand.
Graham says that the unique production process for matcha is a part of the production bottleneck.
To make high-grade matcha, the leaves of a particular tea plant have to be harvested at exactly the right time and ground by hand after a shading process of a few weeks.
But the café owner says that much of the shortage has been driven by a demand for only the highest-quality matcha teas, which have the greenest hue and pop on social media videos.
"Not always having to go for the highest quality matcha is a more sustainable way to, I think, enjoy the matcha," he said. "So that it's not putting pressure on all these old, family-owned farms in Japan."

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For the latest information and programming, please visit: To explore Marriott Bonvoy Moments, please visit Join the conversation @MarriottBonvoy and #MarriottBonvoyMoments. High-resolution images available here. About Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of nearly 9,500 properties across more than 30 leading brands in 144 countries and territories. Marriott operates, franchises, and licenses hotel, residential, timeshare, and other lodging properties all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy®, its highly awarded travel platform. For more information, please visit our website at and for the latest company news, visit In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on X and Instagram. Marriott encourages investors, the media, and others interested in the company to review and subscribe to the information Marriott posts on its investor relations website at or Marriott's news center website at which may be material. The contents of these websites are not incorporated by reference into this press release or any report or document Marriott files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and any references to the websites are intended to be inactive textual references only. About Luxury Group by Marriott International With an unrivaled portfolio of eight dynamic luxury brands, Marriott International is creating authentic, rare, and enriching experiences sought by today's global luxurian. Spanning all corners of the world, Marriott International's Luxury Group offers a boundless network of more than 530 landmark hotels and resorts in over 70 countries and territories through The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, EDITION, The Luxury Collection, JW Marriott, and W Hotels. From the world's most iconic destinations to the ultimate undiscovered gems, the international hospitality leader's collection of luxury brands is focused on elevating travel with highly contextualized, nuanced brand experiences that signal the future of luxury by allowing guests to indulge their passions while sparking personal growth. For more information, please visit About Marriott Bonvoy® Marriott Bonvoy's extraordinary portfolio offers renowned hospitality in the most memorable destinations in the world, with more than 30 brands that are tailored to every type of journey. From The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis to W Hotels and more, Marriott Bonvoy has more luxury offerings than any other travel program. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, and through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments™, or through partners for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques®. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit Media ContactJoanna HuangDirector, Luxury PR & CommunicationsMarriott International, Asia Pacific excluding View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Marriott International Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data