Ito En

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.

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

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

• Japanese green tea
• Ready-to-drink tea
• Loose leaf tea
• Matcha powder products
• Bottled tea beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Irving

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

Core 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.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Suntory GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Bottle 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 OhtaniflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 April 2024MLB 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 CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTea-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.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-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 CompanycoreOthersVertically-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

Broad 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQm2dCwsQIFnuneh2X3uILA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Itoen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ito-en-north-america-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/itoen
• Xx.com/ito_en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Ito En