How to import matcha from Japan: a step-by-step guide for business buyers

01 · Define the brief

Start with the product, not the supplier

Before contacting anyone in Japan, write a one-page brief. Japanese suppliers respond far better to a specific request than to “please send your price list”.

• Intended use: drinking, lattes, food or beverage manufacturing, retail tins
• Target sensory profile: color, bitterness, sweetness, aroma
• First order and expected annual volume, in kilograms
• Packaging: bulk bags, 100 g pouches, tins, private label
• Destination market and required documents (organic, COA, allergen statements)
• Target price range and decision date

If you are still deciding between a beverage-focused product and a premium drinking product, our note on choosing matcha for lattes versus retail tins will help you split the brief.

02 · Find suppliers

Identify the right kind of supplier

Matcha reaches you through several supplier types: farms that also mill, tencha factories, specialist mills, regional wholesalers and trading companies. Each has different minimums, English capability and documentation habits. We compare them in tea farm, factory or trading company.

For a first import, aim for a shortlist of three to five candidates who can realistically supply your volume, rather than a long list of famous names. Confirm early whether the supplier already exports to your country, because a supplier with existing export documentation removes weeks of work.

03 · Samples

Request and evaluate samples properly

Ask for samples that match the product you intend to buy, not the supplier’s showcase grade. Request the specification with the sample: harvest year, region, cultivar or blend, particle size if available and shelf life. Evaluate every sample the same way, in your own recipe, on the same day. Our sample evaluation protocol sets this out in detail.

04 · Quotes and terms

Get quotes on the same basis

Ask each shortlisted supplier for pricing at two or three realistic volumes, the minimum order quantity, packaging, lead time, payment terms and the delivery basis (Incoterm). Quotes that arrive as a single price per kilogram hide most of the differences between suppliers; see how to compare matcha wholesale quotes for a comparison sheet.

05 · Documents

Line up documents before you order

Your customs broker and, for food, your local food authority will need documents from the supplier. Typical requests are a specification sheet, a certificate of analysis for the lot, an ingredient and allergen statement, country-of-origin confirmation and, if claimed, organic certificates recognised in your market. What each destination requires differs, so confirm the list with your broker before the order is placed. Matcha supplier documents explains what each document actually proves. If you already know your destination, our market guides cover the country-specific picture — for example the Germany matcha tea market and import guide and the Saudi Arabia matcha market and import guide.

One item you can strike from most checklists: a phytosanitary certificate is not issued for matcha, because dried, heat-treated and milled tea is exempt from plant quarantine under Japan’s Plant Protection Act. Where a broker insists, an official written confirmation of the exemption is available from Japan’s Plant Protection Station.

06 · Freight and customs

Choose freight, then clear customs

Small first orders usually travel by air; larger, repeat orders by sea. The choice affects packaging, transit temperature and cash flow, covered in air versus sea freight for matcha. Appoint a customs broker in your country early and give them the supplier’s documents in advance. Duty rates and any registration requirements (for example, importer registration for food products in some markets) are set by the destination, not by the supplier.

For EU destinations, note that the €150 duty-free de-minimis threshold was abolished on 1 July 2026 — even small sample parcels now attract import duty and VAT on arrival, so budget for clearance charges from the very first parcel.

07 · Order and repeat

Place a first order that can be repeated

Treat the first order as the template for the relationship: agree the specification, the lot approval process, how price reviews will work and how you will forecast repeat orders. Buyers who document this once rarely need to renegotiate every shipment.

• Written order confirmation with product, quantity, price, pack and Incoterm
• Agreed lot approval: sample from the production lot before shipment, or on arrival
• Reorder lead time and forecast expectations
• Named contact on both sides for issues

If you would rather have a Japan-based team run this sequence with the suppliers, that is exactly what our procurement service does.

08 · Costs

What importing matcha actually costs

The price per kilogram is only the start. A realistic budget for a first import stacks up from these layers:

• The product — the wholesale price at your order volume, in the quoted currency
• Export packing — usually included for bulk barrier bags; retail packs and components are quoted separately
• Freight and insurance — air for small first orders, sea for volume; see air versus sea freight
• Customs brokerage and import processing — fixed fees that weigh most on small shipments
• Duty and import taxes — set by your market; green tea enters many markets at low or even zero duty, but confirm the tariff classification and VAT/GST treatment with your broker
• Testing and compliance — any laboratory tests you commission, plus certificates requested from the supplier
• A buffer — currency movement and first-order surprises

Two habits keep the numbers honest. First, ask your forwarder for a landed-cost estimate at your realistic order size before comparing suppliers: fixed costs mean a small shipment and a pallet produce very different per-kilogram results. Second, convert everything into cost per finished unit — the method in matcha cost per cup — because that is the number your pricing decisions actually need.

09 · Timeline

A realistic first-import timeline

• Brief and outreach — a focused shortlist usually answers within one to two weeks
• Samples — preparation, documents and air shipping typically take two to four weeks; a structured evaluation adds one or two more
• Quotes and decision — fast if your brief was specific from the start
• Production and documents — matcha is milled to order, then packed and documented; longer in peak season and for retail packs
• Freight and customs — days by air, weeks by sea, plus clearance at both ends

Taken together, first imports commonly arrive two to four months after the first supplier email — faster with air freight and a stocked grade, slower around the harvest and the year-end peak; see the matcha supply calendar. Repeat orders are much faster once the specification, documents and lot-approval routine are settled.

10 · Common mistakes

Mistakes first-time importers make

• Comparing quotes on different bases — mixed volumes, packs and Incoterms; see how to compare matcha wholesale quotes
• Building the business case on sample pricing instead of confirmed wholesale tiers
• Checking Japanese compliance but not the destination market's residue limits; see pesticide residues and matcha exports
• Ordering a year of stock in one shipment — matcha fades; buy for turnover, as in shelf life and bulk storage
• Skipping lot approval and discovering drift only on arrival
• Leaving premium-grade orders until autumn, when first-harvest allocations are already committed

Each of these is avoidable with the steps above — and every one is cheaper to fix before the goods ship than after.

11 · FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an import licence to import matcha?

Matcha is a food product, so most markets require the importer to be registered with the food authority and to meet labeling and safety rules, rather than to hold a specific licence. Requirements differ by country; your customs broker or food authority can confirm what applies to a tea powder before you order.

How long does a first matcha import take from first contact to delivery?

With a clear brief, samples, a decision, production and air freight, many first imports take a couple of months; retail packaging or organic paperwork adds time. Projects that wait for a decision after samples, or that start after the first harvest is allocated, take longer.

Can I import matcha without visiting Japan?

Yes. Most first imports are completed by email, samples and video calls. Visits become valuable once you are choosing between finalists or planning a private label line, and can be arranged later; see our supplier visit programme.

How much does it cost to import matcha from Japan?

There is no single figure: the landed cost combines the wholesale price at your volume with freight, insurance, duty and import taxes, brokerage and any testing you commission. Fixed costs weigh heavily on small shipments, so ask a forwarder for a landed-cost estimate at your realistic order size and compare suppliers on cost per finished unit rather than price per kilogram.

What documents do I need to import matcha?

Typically a commercial invoice and packing list, the product specification, a lot-numbered certificate of analysis, country-of-origin confirmation and, where claimed, organic certificates recognised in your market. The exact list is set by the destination, so confirm it with your customs broker before you place the order.