What Matchaful does

Matchaful is a Brooklyn-based, female-founded direct-to-consumer matcha brand and café operator founded in 2016 by Hannah Habes. The company sources premium single-origin Japanese ceremonial matcha from a fourth-generation family farm in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, using a patented solar-panel shading technique that simultaneously shades tea plants and generates renewable energy for nearby communities. Its core product portfolio comprises three matcha SKUs (Organic Kiwami Single Cultivar, Hikari Single Origin, and Tsuyuhikari Limited Reserve) plus Houjicha roasted green tea, supporting accessories (bamboo whisks, ceramic stands, sifters), and a cacao-mint grain-free matcha granola; Kiwami and Tsuyuhikari lines received USDA Certified Organic status in June 2026, and all products undergo third-party testing for radiation, heavy metals, and 700+ pesticides and herbicides.

Matchaful monetizes through three channels: e-commerce at matchaful.com (one-time purchases plus a ReCharge-powered subscription offering 15% discount, free shipping, 5% store credit, and a free gift on the third order), nine company-owned cafés across Manhattan and Brooklyn serving matcha beverages, elixirs, and plant-forward food, and a B2B wholesale program supplying cafés, restaurants, offices, and hotels nationwide with team training and educational support. SKU pricing ranges from $12-$24 for accessories to $42-$119 for 30-100g tins of ceremonial-grade matcha, with 1kg bulk options at $395-$490 targeting wholesale and heavy users. Distribution is U.S.-only with international shipping listed as a future aspiration.

Operationally, Matchaful is bootstrapped following a single $142,965 seed round in July 2017 from Right Side Capital Management and Techstars, employs 11-50 people across café, production, wholesale, and HQ functions, and has concentrated its physical presence entirely in NYC despite nationwide e-commerce reach. The Clinton Hill location doubles as a Culinary Lab + Café production facility and the Williamsburg location houses a Ritual Bar and Stone Mill for reservation-only tea tastings and grinding experiences. Brand awareness is supported by earned media in The New York Times, Bon Appétit, New York Magazine, MindBodyGreen, and Bustle, and recent collaborations with non-endemic brands such as Beauty of Joseon at Sephora Times Square.

Name

Matchaful

Legal name

Matchaful

Website

https://matchaful.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Matchaful is a Brooklyn-based, female-founded DTC matcha brand and café operator (est. 2016) that sources single-origin ceremonial matcha from a fourth-generation Shizuoka farm and distributes via nine NYC cafés, e-commerce subscriptions, and a U.S. B2B wholesale program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Tea & Beverages

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Matcha Bars (THAFAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Premium japanese matcha
• Specialty tea products
• Organic matcha wholesale
• Matcha cafe services
• Botanical nutrition drinks

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Online retail sales of matcha powders, tea accessories, ceramics, granola, and gift sets through matchaful.com. Offers one-time purchases and subscription options with 15% discount.
2. Café Retail Sales: Sales of matcha beverages, elixirs, and food items at 9 physical café locations across NYC. Menu includes signature lattes, elixirs, and plant-forward snacks.
3. Wholesale B2B: Wholesale supply of matcha to cafés, restaurants, offices, and hotels. Includes team training and ongoing education as part of partnership model.
4. Subscription Program: Monthly or bi-monthly automatic deliveries with 15% discount, free shipping, free gift on third order, and 5% store credit back on each order. Subscribers can pause, skip, or cancel anytime.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Matchaful sources and distributes single-origin, ceremonial-grade Japanese matcha from a fourth-generation family farm in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, where tea leaves are shade-grown under patented solar panels. The company sells these matcha powders, complementary Houjicha roasted green tea, activated matcha granola, and traditional tea preparation accessories through its own e-commerce store, a recurring subscription program, and a network of nine company-owned cafés in NYC, and supplies the same products in bulk to foodservice operators through a B2B wholesale program.

Product overview

Matchaful is a female-founded purveyor of premium Japanese ceremonial matcha operating as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform with physical café locations in NYC. The core product portfolio centers on three main matcha and tea offerings: Organic Kiwami Single Cultivar Matcha (USDA Certified Organic, Okumidori cultivar), Hikari Single Origin Matcha, and Tsuyuhikari Limited Reserve Matcha—all sourced from a fourth-generation solar-panel-shaded farm in Shizuoka Prefecture. Supporting products include Houjicha (roasted green tea), Cacao Mint Grain-Free Activated Matcha Granola (a housemade snack), and traditional matcha preparation accessories (bamboo whisks, ceramic whisk stands). The business model combines online retail (subscription and one-time purchasing), nine NYC café locations, and a wholesale program for B2B partners. The brand positions itself around botanical nutrition, single-origin sourcing, organic practices, and Farm-to-Whisk™ traceability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Kiwami Single Cultivar Matcha Premium single-cultivar ceremonial-grade matcha made from the Okumidori variety, shade-grown under solar panels in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. USDA Certified Organic and stone-milled to order. Sold in 30g, 100g, and 1kg sizes for at-home preparation by health-conscious consumers.
• Hikari Single Origin Matcha Single-origin ceremonial matcha with a smooth, creamy flavor profile (walnut, lemon, butter), shaded by solar panels and stone-milled in Japan. Available in 30g tin, 100g bag, and 1kg sizes for individual consumers seeking a smooth daily-drinking matcha.
• Tsuyuhikari Limited Reserve Matcha Limited reserve ceremonial matcha made from the Tsuyuhikari cultivar, now USDA Certified Organic, sold in 30g tin and 100g bag sizes for individual consumers seeking a rare small-lot matcha.
• Houjicha Roasted Green Tea Roasted Japanese green tea with an earthy, low-caffeine profile featuring notes of coffee, puffed rice, and cacao. USDA Certified Organic, sold in 30g tin and 100g bag sizes as a lower-caffeine complement to matcha for individual consumers.
• Cacao Mint Grain-Free Activated Matcha Granola Grain-free, activated granola made with Matchaful Hikari ceremonial matcha, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, maple syrup, cacao nibs, and peppermint extract. A caffeinated snack containing 5g protein per serving, targeted at health-conscious consumers.
• Traditional Bamboo Whisk (Chasen) Hand-carved bamboo whisk used for traditional Japanese matcha preparation to achieve proper froth. Sold to home consumers and café customers learning traditional preparation technique.
• Black Ceramic Chasen Whisk Stand Ceramic whisk holder (chasen yasume) that maintains the prong shape and prolongs the lifespan of bamboo whisks. Sold alongside bamboo whisks for home tea preparation.
• Matchaful Tote Bag Branded tote bag merchandise sold as a lifestyle add-on to Matchaful tea purchases.
• Matchaful Dad Hat Branded cap merchandise sold as a lifestyle add-on to Matchaful tea purchases.
• Matchaful Gift Card Digital gift card redeemable on matchaful.com in $25, $50, $75, $100, and $250 denominations for use toward matcha, tea, snacks, and accessories.
• Matchaful Subscription Service Recurring automatic delivery program offering 15% off all matcha and tea, free shipping, 5% store credit on each order, and a free gift on the third order. Available monthly or bi-monthly across the full matcha and Houjicha catalog.
• Matchaful Café Locations Nine company-owned retail cafés across NYC (SoHo, Nolita, West Village, Midtown East, Brookfield Place, Clinton Hill, Williamsburg, plus additional locations) serving matcha lattes, elixirs, and plant-forward food items. The Williamsburg location additionally offers the reservation-only Ritual Bar and Stone Mill tasting and grinding experiences.
• Matchaful Wholesale Program B2B wholesale supply of organic matcha to cafés, restaurants, offices, and hotels across the U.S., bundled with hands-on team training and ongoing educational resources for the partner's staff. Marketed as a leading organic matcha wholesaler with deliberately limited partner onboarding.

Quantifiable outcome

• Third-party lab testing for radiation, heavy metals, and over 700 pesticides and herbicides ensures product safety and quality.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Beauty of JoseonminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 May 2026Matchaful collaborated with Beauty of Joseon at their Morning Moisturizer SPF Grocery pop-up experience in New York City. The activation featured an exclusive matcha latte collaboration, with Matchaful providing matcha beverages as part of the supermarket-inspired retail experience promoting sun care products.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ippodo Tea Co. Japanese heritage matcha and loose-leaf tea brand with direct U.S. e-commerce, single-origin products, and a long-standing reputation for premium ceremonial-grade matcha. Highly comparable on the product and sourcing narrative that Matchaful promotes.
• Tenzo Tea: Ceremonial-grade matcha brand with DTC e-commerce and foodservice wholesale to cafés and smoothie operators, comparable in go-to-market motion and target customer overlap with Matchaful.
• Mizuba Tea Co. Single-origin matcha and Japanese green tea brand with direct farm-to-customer sourcing from Uji, Japan, sold through DTC and select wholesale. Closely comparable to Matchaful on single-origin narrative and premium positioning.
• Cha Cha Matcha: New York-founded matcha café and packaged goods brand operating physical locations and a DTC e-commerce channel with similar ceremonial-grade positioning. The closest direct comparable in terms of café-plus-DTC hybrid model in the U.S. premium matcha segment.
• Encha: Organic ceremonial-grade matcha brand sold direct-to-consumer online and through wholesale to cafés, with strong emphasis on single-origin sourcing from Uji, Japan. Operates in the same premium DTC matcha category as Matchaful.
• Jade Leaf Matcha: U.S.-based ceremonial and culinary matcha brand with broad retail distribution and e-commerce. Competes in the same premium matcha category though positioned at more accessible price points than Matchaful.

Regional players

• Clean Market: Wellness-focused café and retail concept in NYC that hosts Matchaful's West Village location. Comparable as a wellness-oriented café operator in the same NYC market with overlapping customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Harney & Sons: Established U.S. specialty tea company offering premium loose-leaf and matcha products across DTC, retail, and wholesale channels. Comparable on premium tea retail and wholesale distribution model.
• Ito En: Large Japanese beverage company producing matcha and green tea products for retail and foodservice globally. Competes with Matchaful in the broader matcha category as a scaled incumbent with broader distribution but less single-cultivar focus.

Emerging players

• Cuzen Matcha: Premium matcha brand with a proprietary at-home matcha maker, sold direct-to-consumer. Competes with Matchaful in the premium ceremonial matcha category with a technology-enabled differentiator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/matchaful
• Facebookfacebook.com/matchaful
• LinkedIninstagram.com/matchaful
• Instagraminstagram.com/matchaful

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 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 Matchaful