What Cuzen Matcha does

Cuzen Matcha (legal entity World Matcha Inc., with a parallel Japanese entity World Matcha Co., Ltd.) is a San Mateo-based food-tech and consumer tea company founded in 2019 by Eijiro Tsukada and Oki Hatta. Its flagship product is the Matcha Maker, an automated countertop appliance that stores whole organic tea leaves in a brushed-aluminum hopper with bamboo lid, grinds them via a ceramic mill with a complex groove pattern engineered to replicate the pressure of a 130-pound granite mill, and whisks the result using a magnetic whisk rotating at high speed to produce fresh matcha shots at three strength levels (1g, 1.5g, 2g). The company sells the Matcha Maker Starter Kit at $299, a Gift Kit at $349, and a Refurbished unit at $179, with a 20% student discount. The Matcha Maker Pro (launched May 2025) is NSF-certified for commercial use and produces two 1g shots in roughly 40 seconds for offices, cafes, restaurants, and hotels.

The business operates a razor-and-blade model: hardware sales drive customer acquisition, while recurring revenue comes from organic matcha leaf packets (Premium, Signature, and Latte blends in 20g, 60g, and 300g sizes), Single Origin collections from seven Japanese regions, Hojicha leaf, and Genmaicha cold-brew products, available via subscription at a 15% discount. Cuzen distributes primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce at cuzenmatcha.com, with secondary presence on Amazon and shipping to 20 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. A B2B/Professional division offers the Matcha Maker Pro via a turnkey lease program with bundled leaf supply and no upfront equipment purchase, targeting corporate offices, cafes, restaurants, and hotels. Marketing emphasizes content (blog "Turning the bowl," YouTube tutorials, recipe collaborations with SingleThread's chef Kyle Connaughton) and earned media (TIME Best Inventions 2020, CES 2020 Innovation Honoree, iF Design Award 2021, Esquire Home Awards). Strategic partners include Digital Garage Group (Series A lead, June 2023, $3.6M), Segafredo Zanetti Japan (Tokyo cafe rollout, June 2026), Kato Seisakusho (120+ year tea canister maker co-developing the mill case), and Hario (cold-brew bottle supplier). Total disclosed funding is approximately $4.6M, and the company has 11-50 employees.

Name

Cuzen Matcha

Legal name

World Matcha Inc.

Website

https://cuzenmatcha.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cuzen Matcha is a San Mateo-based food-tech company founded in 2019 that makes an automated Matcha Maker appliance and sells organic Japanese tea leaf subscriptions to health-conscious consumers, with a commercial Pro model for offices, cafes, restaurants, and hotels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Matcha Maker: Cuzen Matcha generates revenue primarily through sales of the Matcha Maker hardware device. The Matcha Maker Starter Kit is priced at $299, with refurbished units available at $179, and a Gift Kit at $349. They also offer a student discount at 20% off. The machine is available for lease to B2B customers through their professional program.
2. Tea Leaf Subscriptions and One-Time Purchases: Recurring revenue from organic matcha leaf packets sold in 20g, 60g, and 300g sizes. Customers can subscribe for a 15% discount. Price per shot ranges from approximately $0.58 to $1.50 depending on blend and package size. The company also sells Hojicha leaf, Single Origin matcha, and Genmaicha cold brew products.
3. Accessories and Replacement Parts: Revenue from complementary products including ceramic mill units ($50), mill unit cases ($35), whisking cups ($15), AC adapters ($40), bamboo lids ($10), replacement spatulas, and matcha accessories like bowls, cups, and glasses.
4. B2B/Professional Services: Enterprise lease program for Matcha Maker Pro targeting offices, cafes, restaurants, and hotels. Includes supply of premium matcha tea leaves as needed, with no upfront equipment purchase required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cuzen Matcha designs, manufactures, and sells the Matcha Maker — an automated countertop appliance that stores, grinds, and whisks whole organic tea leaves into fresh matcha on demand. The company generates revenue through hardware sales of the Matcha Maker (consumer and commercial Pro variants) and recurring consumable revenue from organic Japanese tea leaf subscriptions and one-time purchases available via its DTC e-commerce store and Amazon.

Product overview

Cuzen Matcha offers a portfolio of hardware appliances and consumable tea products centered on freshly-ground matcha preparation. The core product is the Matcha Maker (available in Original, Sumi Black, Pro commercial, and Refurbished variants), a machine that grinds whole organic tea leaves using ceramic mill technology and whisks them into fresh matcha shots. This is sold as standalone Starter Kits ($299) or premium Gift Kits ($349). The ecosystem includes complementary consumables: Organic Matcha Leaf packets in three blends (Premium, Signature, Latte Blend) and Single Origin varieties from Japanese regions, Organic Hojicha Leaf, and Organic Matcha Genmaicha. Commercial B2B solutions feature the NSF-certified Matcha Maker Pro. Accessories include Ceramic Mill Units, Mill Unit Cases, Whisking Cups, drinkware, and replacement parts. The company also offers subscription plans, student discounts, and B2B office lease programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Matcha Maker Starter Kit Flagship countertop appliance that stores whole organic tea leaves, grinds them on demand via ceramic mill technology, and whisks the powder with a magnetic whisk to produce fresh matcha shots; the Starter Kit pairs the machine with sample leaf packets and a guidebook at $299.
• Matcha Maker Gift Kit Premium gift version of the Matcha Maker bundled with organic cotton furoshiki wrap, multiple leaf samples including Single Origins, guidebook, and personalized note option, priced at $349.
• Refurbished Matcha Maker Starter Kit Factory-examined, tested, and recalibrated refurbished Matcha Maker sold with sample packets at the reduced price of $179, supporting the company's sustainability positioning.
• Matcha Maker Pro NSF-certified commercial-grade variant of the Matcha Maker engineered for high-volume continuous operation in offices, cafes, restaurants, and hotels; produces 1g in approximately 40 seconds and prepares two servings at once.
• Organic Matcha Leaf Packets Whole organic matcha leaves in three signature blends (Premium, Signature, Latte Blend) sold in 20g, 60g, and 300g sizes, eligible for a 15% subscription discount and consumable inside the Matcha Maker.
• Organic Single Origin Matcha Leaf Premium single-origin matcha sourced from seven Japanese regions across ten varieties (Kirishima, Uji, Tenryu, Toyota, Chausubaru, Kitsuki, Okabe, Okumidori, etc.), sold individually or as curated Discovery and Complete Collection sets with a 15% subscription discount.
• Hojicha Starter Kit Expansion bundle that lets existing Matcha Maker owners switch from matcha to hojicha preparation by pairing a 20g organic hojicha leaf packet with a dedicated Ceramic Mill Unit and Mill Unit Case, priced at $70.
• Organic Hojicha Leaf 100% organic Japanese roasted green tea leaves designed for use with the Hojicha Starter Kit's Ceramic Mill Unit, offering a lower-caffeine roasted flavor profile from $20 per packet.
• Cold Brew Tea Starter Kit Mizudashi-style cold-brewing kit pairing 100g Organic Matcha Genmaicha loose leaf with a Hario filter-in glass bottle so consumers can cold-brew tea at home, priced at $60 with a 15% subscription discount.
• Organic Matcha Genmaicha Loose Leaf Genmaicha blend combining organic green tea with roasted rice, enhanced with Single Origin Kirishima Okumidori matcha powder for deeper umami and color, sold as a 100g packet for use in the Cold Brew Tea Starter Kit.
• B2B Office Matcha Service Turnkey enterprise service delivering the NSF-certified Matcha Maker Pro to offices, cafes, restaurants, and hotels via a lease program that bundles premium tea leaf supply, requires no upfront equipment purchase, and needs no water hookup.
• Matcha Drinkware & Accessory Sets Standalone drinkware collections sold separately from the Matcha Maker, including the Daily Matcha Bowl set ($120), Perfect Matcha Latte Cup set ($110), Perfect Matcha Latte Glass set ($80), and Matcha Shot Glass & Wooden Saucer set ($90).

Quantifiable outcome

• Higher antioxidant content in freshly-ground vs pre-ground matcha powder, with significant difference even after two months of storage
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Segafredo Zanetti Japan Ltd.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026CUZEN MATCHA partnered with Segafredo Zanetti Japan to launch a matcha espresso menu featuring freshly ground organic matcha at three select Segafredo locations in Tokyo. The collaboration merges traditional Japanese matcha culture with Italian bar culture, using CUZEN MATCHA's matcha grinding machine to deliver authentic matcha beverages aligned with Segafredo's Italian café standards.
• SingleThreadflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternationally-renowned Sonoma County restaurant-farm-inn SingleThread, led by Chef Kyle Connaughton, collaborated with Cuzen to develop original recipes using freshly-ground matcha. The collaboration produced recipes including matcha onigiri, matcha crepe cake, strawberry matcha latte, matcha affogato, and yuzu matcha sour, featured on Cuzen's recipe blog.
• Kato SeisakushocoreTechnology or IntegrationKato Seisakusho, a business that has been making tea canisters for over 120 years, designed the Cuzen Mill Unit Case in collaboration with Cuzen Matcha. The case is customized to perfectly fit the Ceramic Mill Unit with a tin inner lid that protects tea leaves from humidity and maintains freshness.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Nespresso: Nespresso is the canonical premium single-serve beverage hardware-plus-consumable business model; Cuzen explicitly positions the Matcha Maker as 'what Nespresso is for coffee, but for matcha,' making the analogy the closest available business-model benchmark.
• Stonemill Matcha: Stonemill Matcha is the founder Eijiro Tsukada's prior San Francisco matcha cafe and brand; it overlaps directly with Cuzen on product category, geography, and customer persona (though without the hardware layer).
• Breville: Breville is a major premium small-appliance maker producing espresso machines, milk frothers, and tea kettles; comparable to Cuzen on the home beverage-prep hardware side of the business.
• T2 Tea: T2 is a global premium specialty tea retailer offering loose-leaf and packaged teas; comparable to Cuzen on premium tea retail and lifestyle brand experience, though without proprietary hardware.

Direct peers

• Ippodo Tea Co. Ippodo is a long-established premium Japanese green tea and matcha brand with similar ceremonial-grade positioning and a global following; it overlaps directly with Cuzen's matcha leaf and Single Origin offerings for tea connoisseurs.
• Marukyu Koyamaen: Marukyu Koyamaen is a premium Japanese matcha producer supplying ceremonial-grade teas to tea ceremony practitioners and connoisseurs; comparable to Cuzen on premium Japanese matcha quality and origin credibility.
• Encha: Encha is a direct-to-consumer organic matcha brand shipping ceremonial-grade Japanese matcha; it targets the same health-conscious Western consumer base as Cuzen but without proprietary hardware.
• Tenzo Tea: Tenzo is a US-based matcha brand offering organic ceremonial matcha to cafes (including coffee chains) and consumers; comparable to Cuzen's matcha leaf product line and similar foodservice channel ambitions.
• Naoko Matcha: Naoko is a premium matcha brand emphasizing single-origin and ceremonial-grade Japanese matcha; it competes with Cuzen's Organic Matcha Leaf and Single Origin collections for the same discerning consumer.

Emerging players

• Fellow Products: Fellow is a premium DTC brand for specialty coffee and tea brewing equipment (kettles, grinders, French presses); comparable to Cuzen in design-forward home brewing hardware and direct-to-consumer premium positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cuzenmatcha/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/cuzenmatcha
• Instagraminstagram.com/cuzenmatcha
• TikToktiktok.com/@cuzenmatcha
• Xx.com/cuzenmatcha

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cuzen Matcha