Ito En
ITO EN (North America) develops and distributes Japanese green tea, matcha, and adjacent wellness products for consumers, retailers, restaurants, cafés, and corporate accounts through e-commerce, wholesale, marketplaces, retail, and vending channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersIrving, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ito En does
ITO EN (North America) Inc., established in May 2001, operates as the U.S. subsidiary of the public Japanese parent ITO EN (TYO:2593). It develops and distributes tea and adjacent health-and-wellness products in the United States. Its portfolio includes Oi Ocha, Teas' Tea Organic, matcha LOVE, and ITO EN bottled and canned teas, loose-leaf tea, tea bags, matcha powder, and related formats. ITO EN also operates or owns ITO EN (Hawaii), Distant Lands Trading Company in specialty coffee, and Mason Vitamins/Sentry in vitamins and supplements.
ITO EN's core product technology is Japanese green tea processing and brewing. The company reports that it pioneered vacuum processing and double-packaging in 1969 to preserve tea quality for mainstream retail and supports tea-producing communities through its Tea-Producing Region Development Project. North American products are sold through a Shopify-powered e-commerce store, Amazon, wholesale accounts, grocery and convenience retail, branded Matcha LOVE tea shops, and vending machines in Japan.
Revenue is generated through one-time sales of beverages, teas, coffee, matcha products, and supplements across consumer and B2B channels. The company serves health-conscious consumers, Gen Z and millennials seeking premium functional beverages, and retailers, restaurants, cafés, convenience stores, and corporate accounts. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the supplied data provides no unit volumes, customer concentration, or North American revenue figures.
Ito En firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ito En
- Legal name
- ITO EN (North America) Inc.
- Website
- https://itoen.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- ITO EN (North America) develops and distributes Japanese green tea, matcha, and adjacent wellness products for consumers, retailers, restaurants, cafés, and corporate accounts through e-commerce, wholesale, marketplaces, retail, and vending channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ito En industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Packaged Tea and Matcha Products
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea (CRADAHAD), Specialty Tea Shops (Loose-Leaf, Tea Bars) (THAFAKAD), Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)
Keywords
Where Ito En is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irving
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Ito En business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Bottled and Canned Tea Products: Ready-to-drink bottled and canned green teas sold through retail, vending machines, and e-commerce channels including unsweetened Oi Ocha, Matcha Love beverages, and Teas' Tea Organic products.
- Loose Leaf and Matcha Powder: Premium Japanese teas including loose leaf sencha, gyokuro, hojicha, genmaicha, ceremonial and culinary grade matcha powders sold direct-to-consumer and wholesale.
- Tea Bags: Bagged tea products including Oi Ocha green tea bags, ITO EN matcha green tea bags, and Matcha Love tea bags for retail and wholesale distribution.
- Wholesale Distribution: Bulk and wholesale sales to authorized business accounts including retailers, restaurants, cafes, and corporate sales.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ito En product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ITO EN manufactures and sells Japanese tea products across ready-to-drink bottles and cans, tea bags, loose-leaf varieties, and matcha powders under the Oi Ocha, ITO EN, Teas' Tea Organic, and matcha LOVE brands. Its portfolio serves personal consumption through consumer retail and e-commerce and also supports wholesale accounts such as retailers, restaurants, cafes, and corporate buyers.
Product overview
Ito En is a Japanese health and wellness company specializing in green tea products, operating as a multi-brand portfolio across bottled/canned beverages, tea bags, loose leaf teas, and matcha powders. The company markets four main sub-brands: Oi Ocha (Japan's #1 green tea brand featuring unsweetened bottled teas), ITO EN (traditional bottled teas), Teas' Tea Organic (certified organic unsweetened teas), and matcha LOVE (premium matcha powders and canned matcha beverages). Products span multiple formats including bottles, cans, tea bags, and loose leaf, with distribution through direct-to-consumer e-commerce, retail partners, wholesale channels, and company-owned matcha LOVE tea shops in New Jersey, California, Hawaii, and Texas. The company also operates adjacent businesses including Distant Lands Coffee (specialty coffee) and Mason Vitamins (vitamins and supplements).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Oi Ocha: Japan's #1 green tea brand. Offers pure, unsweetened green tea without added calories or sugars. Brewed from first flush whole green tea leaves grown in Japan.
- Teas' Tea
- matcha LOVE
Products and services
- Oi Ocha A Japanese green tea brand offering unsweetened bottled and canned green teas, tea bags, and matcha powders for consumer and wholesale purchase.
- ITO EN (Bottled Teas) A packaged tea line containing green, jasmine, and oolong varieties as well as matcha-enhanced beverages sold in bottles and cans.
- Teas' Tea Organic An organic line of unsweetened bottled teas made with simple ingredients, including green tea, green and white tea, jasmine green, golden oolong, and mint green varieties.
- matcha LOVE A matcha brand offering ceremonial- and culinary-grade powders, single-serve sticks, and sweetened and unsweetened canned matcha beverages.
- Loose Leaf Tea Traditional Japanese loose-leaf teas including sencha, gyokuro, hojicha, genmaicha, shincha, and organic varieties sourced from Japanese tea-producing regions.
- Tea Bags Japanese green tea bags and specialty blends, including matcha green tea, hojicha, genmaicha, and fruit-infused varieties under the ITO EN and Oi Ocha brands.
- Matcha Powder Japanese matcha powders offered in ceremonial-grade, culinary-grade, organic, and barista blends under the matcha LOVE and ITO EN brands.
Companies that use Ito En
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ito En technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ito En partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Suntory GroupcoreBottle to Bottle PET bottle recycling initiative partnership with Suntory Group and Ito En, scheduled to launch in April 2026. Part of Granberry Park's sustainability initiatives at Tokyu Malls Development in Machida, Tokyo.
- Shohei OhtaniflagshipMLB All Star Shohei Ohtani serves as Global Brand Ambassador for Oi Ocha, the world's first unsweetened green tea in a bottle (created 1989). Ohtani has been a longtime fan of Oi Ocha from his time in Japan, bringing authentic brand advocacy to expand global reach.
- Japanese Farming CommunitycoreTea-Producing Region Development Project - ITO EN partners with Japanese farming community to preserve the art and craft of tea harvesting, support local economies, promote conscious agricultural work, and ensure stable supply of green tea leaves.
- ShopifycoreE-commerce platform provider powering the ITO EN North America online store at itoen.com, enabling product sales, customer accounts, and order processing.
- Distant Lands Trading CompanycoreVertically-integrated specialty coffee company acquired by ITO EN in 2015. Committed to quality from seed-to-cup with sustainable farming and milling methods. Operates farmlands in Costa Rica and Columbia, roasting facilities in Renton, WA and Tyler, TX.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ito En competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lipton (Unilever): Lipton is the global mass-market tea brand under Unilever, with a large RTD tea portfolio in the US. It competes with ITO EN across price points, formats, and channels, leveraging vastly greater scale and trade marketing.
- Snapple (Keurig Dr Pepper): Snapple is a mainstream US RTD tea and juice brand owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. It competes with ITO EN in convenience and grocery channels across iced tea and flavored tea categories.
- Suntory (Iyemon / Suntory Green Tea): Suntory is one of Japan's largest beverage conglomerates and a direct competitor in Japanese RTD green tea with its Iyemon brand. It shares ITO EN's Japanese heritage, premium positioning, and vending machine distribution, and is even a partner in PET recycling.
Direct peers
- Pure Leaf (Unilever/PepsiCo): Pure Leaf is a major US RTD tea brand backed by Unilever manufacturing and PepsiCo bottling/distribution. It competes head-to-head with Oi Ocha in bottled/canned green and flavored teas across grocery and convenience channels.
- The Republic of Tea: The Republic of Tea is a US premium tea brand offering loose leaf, bagged, and RTD specialty teas. It competes with ITO EN in premium loose leaf, tea bags, and the experiential/boutique tea shop format.
- Bigelow Tea: Bigelow is a major US family-owned tea company selling bagged and specialty teas across grocery and foodservice. It competes with ITO EN's Oi Ocha and ITO EN branded tea bags in similar price tiers.
- Aiya America: Aiya is one of the largest Japanese matcha producers supplying retail and foodservice in the US. It competes directly with Matcha LOVE in ceremonial and culinary grade matcha powder sold to consumers, cafes, and bakeries.
- AriZona Beverage Company: AriZona is a leading US RTD iced tea brand with a broad portfolio including green tea variants. It competes directly with ITO EN's Oi Ocha and Teas' Tea on convenience, grocery, and foodservice shelves, targeting similar health- and value-conscious consumers.
- Celestial Seasonings (Hain Celestial): Celestial Seasonings is a leading US packaged tea brand offering bagged and specialty teas. It overlaps with ITO EN's Teas' Tea Organic and Oi Ocha tea bag lines in natural and grocery channels.
Emerging players
- Traditional Medicinals: Traditional Medicinals is a US herbal tea brand focused on functional, wellness-positioned teas. It overlaps with ITO EN in health-and-wellness channels, natural grocery, and the functional/unsweetened positioning Teas' Tea Organic pursues.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ito En social profiles
Digital presenceIto En financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ito En leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ito En subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Ito En funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ito En M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ito En
What does Ito En do?
ITO EN manufactures and sells Japanese tea products across ready-to-drink bottles and cans, tea bags, loose-leaf varieties, and matcha powders under the Oi Ocha, ITO EN, Teas' Tea Organic, and matcha LOVE brands. Its portfolio serves personal consumption through consumer retail and e-commerce and also supports wholesale accounts such as retailers, restaurants, cafes, and corporate buyers.
Is Ito En a public or private company?
Ito En is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Ito En founded?
Ito En was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Ito En based?
Ito En is headquartered in Irving, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ito En make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Bottled and Canned Tea Products are the primary driver. The others are loose Leaf and Matcha Powder, tea Bags and wholesale Distribution.
Who are Ito En's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lipton (Unilever), Snapple (Keurig Dr Pepper) and Suntory (Iyemon / Suntory Green Tea). Direct peers are Pure Leaf (Unilever/PepsiCo), The Republic of Tea, Bigelow Tea, Aiya America, AriZona Beverage Company and Celestial Seasonings (Hain Celestial). Traditional Medicinals is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ito En have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ito En.
What industry is Ito En in?
Ito En's product category is Packaged Tea and Matcha Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAHAE, Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates), with a secondary code of CRADAHAD, Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea. Its NAICS code is 31192 and its SIC code is 2080.