Junbi
Junbi is a privately-held California-based ceremonial-grade matcha café franchise sourcing directly from Uji, Japan, operating 8+ US retail locations and a Shopify e-commerce store selling matcha beverages, onigiri, soft serve, and branded merchandise at $5-$78 price points.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersCalifornia City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Junbi does
Junbi is a privately-held, California-based specialty matcha café and retail brand operating under a franchise model. Founded by co-founders June, Dan, Anna, and Jeremy, the company sources ceremonial-grade matcha directly from its farm in Uji, Japan, employing expert tea sommeliers to maintain quality across its farm-to-cup supply chain. The product portfolio spans matcha beverages (lattes, cold brews, flavored cold foams, blended drinks), soft serve, Japanese-inspired rice balls (onigiri), and at-home retail matcha sold via Shopify, with prices ranging from $5 single in-store items to $78 for larger ceremonial-grade tins. The company also sells drinkware, accessories, and IP-licensed merchandise through collaborations with Peanuts, BT21, Miffy, and MIIR.
The business operates through multiple go-to-market channels: physical franchise storefronts across the United States, a Shopify direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront with 953 verified reviews, ToastTab-integrated online ordering, and a catering service for corporate and event clients. The franchise model is the primary expansion vehicle, with franchisees receiving business support and training while operating independently within a standardized brand framework. The company has pursued cultural resonance through IP collaborations and content marketing via its "Spillin' the Tea" blog and Instagram presence.
Junbi operates 8+ franchise locations across California, New Jersey, Texas, Hawaii, and Oregon, with development pipeline locations including Garden Grove, San Francisco, Mountain View, West Covina, Cedar Park, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and a first Missouri location in University City targeting October 2026. The legal entity is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent company affiliation.
Junbi firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Junbi
- Legal name
- Junbi
- Website
- https://junbishop.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Junbi is a privately-held California-based ceremonial-grade matcha café franchise sourcing directly from Uji, Japan, operating 8+ US retail locations and a Shopify e-commerce store selling matcha beverages, onigiri, soft serve, and branded merchandise at $5-$78 price points.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Junbi industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Tea Café
- NAICS
- Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Matcha Bars (THAFAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Powdered & Dry Beverage Mix Co-Packing (Instant Drinks, Sachets) (AFAFAIAH)
Keywords
Where Junbi is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- California City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices17 records
Markets served
Junbi business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Store Sales: Revenue from physical storefronts selling matcha beverages, food items (rice balls), soft serve, and blended drinks. Each location operates independently with local ordering systems.
- E-commerce Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of matcha products (packets, tins), drinkware, and merchandise through their Shopify storefront. Free shipping on orders over $75.
- Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise agreements with franchisees who open and operate Junbi storefronts. Franchise disclosure document required; preliminary criteria must be met.
- Catering Services: Corporate catering for offices, parties, weddings, and special events. Orders placed through local Junbi locations via email.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Matcha Packets (30 servings each) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Matcha Tins |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Drinkware and Accessories |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Soft Serve and In-Store Items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | In-Store Beverages |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Junbi product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Junbi is a matcha-centric café and retail brand that operates franchise storefronts serving matcha lattes, cold brews, soft serve, rice balls, and blended drinks, alongside a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop selling ceremonial-grade matcha packets, tins, drinkware, and IP-collaboration merchandise. The business sources matcha directly from its farm in Uji, Japan under a farm-to-cup model overseen by expert tea sommeliers, and extends its reach via event catering services and a franchise program for new operators.
Product overview
Junbi is a ceremonial-grade matcha café and retail brand with a farm-to-cup approach, sourcing matcha from Uji, Japan. The company operates a unified product portfolio combining a flagship café/beverage service with retail products. Core offerings include Matcha Classics (lattes, cold brews, flavored variations) and Premium Matcha Products for at-home consumption (various grade matcha tins and packets). Supporting products include Soft Serve, Rice Balls, Blended Drinks, and Drinkware/Accessories. The brand extends its reach through Character Collaborations (BT21, Miffy, Peanuts), a Catering Service for events, and a Franchise Program for expansion. The business operates physical café locations alongside an e-commerce retail store.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Junbi x Peanuts: Collaborative merchandise collection featuring Peanuts characters
- Junbi Meets BT21
- Junbi | Miffy
- Junbi | Miffy Sakura Collection
Products and services
- Matcha Classics (Beverage Menu) Core matcha beverages including Matcha Latte, Ceremonial Matcha Cold Brew, Dirty Matcha Latte, and seasonal variations with flavored cold foams such as Strawberry and Blueberry Lavender, served in-store.
- Premium Matcha Products (Retail) Ceremonial-grade matcha powder sold for at-home preparation, available in Daily Ceremonial (30g, 80g tins) and Premium Ceremonial (Reiwa Tin) grades, plus flavored packets such as Wild Strawberry, Vanilla Bean, Wild Blueberry, and Coconut.
- Soft Serve Matcha, Vanilla, and Swirl soft serve options served in-store, with espresso- and matcha-based affogato variations.
- Rice Balls Japanese-inspired onigiri in Salmon, Mentaiko, Spam & Egg, and Snow Crab varieties, also offered as a Rice Ball Flight.
- Blended Drinks Frozen blended beverages including Chocolate Hazelnut Matcha Blended, Hojicha Blended, and various fruit slushes served in-store.
- Drinkware & Accessories Branded merchandise including the Junbi x MIIR Tumbler (20 oz), Glass Matcha Bowl (Chawan), and Bamboo Matcha Whisk with Ladle for at-home matcha preparation.
- Catering Service Event catering for offices, parties, weddings, and special events, with drinks prepared ahead for pickup or delivery and ordered by emailing a local Junbi location.
- IP Collaboration Merchandise (BT21, Miffy, Peanuts) Limited-edition collaborative merchandise collections featuring BT21, Miffy (regular and Sakura editions), and Peanuts characters, including blind-box glass cup sets, tote bags, and other branded items.
- Franchise Program Franchise opportunity for entrepreneurial individuals to open and operate a Junbi storefront, with business support, training, access to the farm-to-cup supply chain, and a required franchise disclosure document.
Quantifiable outcome
- 23x more antioxidants than orange juice; 13% more vitamin C than orange juice
Companies that use Junbi
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Junbi technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
Junbi partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- PeanutsminorJunbi x Peanuts merchandise collaboration featuring branded products. One of several IP collaborations the brand has pursued.
- BT21minorJunbi Meets BT21 collaboration featuring blind box glass cup sets and tote bags. Popular IP collaboration generating customer engagement.
- MiffyminorJunbi | Miffy merchandise collection including regular and Sakura edition items. IP collaboration targeting fans of the Dutch bunny character.
- MIIRminorJunbi x MIIR Tumbler collaboration featuring 20oz branded tumblers in creme color, priced at $40.
- PostmatesminorDelivery partnership for bringing orders to customers' doorsteps. Referenced during COVID-19 pandemic for contactless delivery options.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Junbi competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Ito En: Major Japanese tea company with global retail presence including matcha products and ready-to-drink teas. Comparable in Japanese tea heritage and ceremonial-grade positioning, though operating at vastly greater scale through mass-market channels.
- Republic of Tea: Specialty tea brand with broad retail distribution including matcha products. Comparable in premium tea DTC positioning and broad retail channel strategy, though product range extends well beyond matcha.
- Teavana (Starbucks): Specialty tea retailer owned by Starbucks, selling loose-leaf tea and matcha products through retail and grocery channels. Broad incumbent competing in matcha retail with vastly greater distribution and marketing resources.
- Blue Bottle Coffee: Large specialty coffee café chain with multi-location retail and DTC packaged products. Comparable in premium beverage café-plus-retail model, scale ambitions, and wellness-oriented brand positioning, though broader in product scope.
- Dutch Bros Coffee: Large drive-through coffee chain with a matcha menu and aggressive franchise-style expansion. Comparable in specialty beverage retail expansion mechanics, though broader in product scope and far greater scale.
Direct peers
- Cha Cha Matcha: Founder-led New York-based matcha café and retail brand offering ceremonial-grade matcha beverages, soft serve, and packaged products. Closest direct competitor in matcha-bar category with comparable farm-to-cup sourcing narrative and DTC retail line.
- Tenzo Tea: Matcha and chai-focused DTC brand with retail matcha products and foodservice supply. Comparable in ceremonial-grade matcha positioning and multi-channel (DTC + B2B café supply) distribution approach.
- Ippodo Tea: Established Japanese tea purveyor selling ceremonial-grade matcha via DTC and wholesale channels. Comparable in authentic Uji-sourced matcha retail products, though distribution model is more wholesale/DTC than café-led.
- MatchaBar (M Tea): Pioneer of the US matcha café category, operating multiple retail locations and selling packaged matcha products. Directly comparable business model combining cafés, retail products, and brand-led wellness positioning.
Emerging players
- Kettl Tea: Direct-to-consumer Japanese green tea and matcha brand with strong sourcing narrative. Comparable in authentic Japan-sourced matcha retail products and education-led marketing approach, though operates without a café footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Junbi social profiles
Digital presenceJunbi financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Junbi leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Junbi funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Junbi M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Junbi
What does Junbi do?
Junbi is a matcha-centric café and retail brand that operates franchise storefronts serving matcha lattes, cold brews, soft serve, rice balls, and blended drinks, alongside a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop selling ceremonial-grade matcha packets, tins, drinkware, and IP-collaboration merchandise. The business sources matcha directly from its farm in Uji, Japan under a farm-to-cup model overseen by expert tea sommeliers, and extends its reach via event catering services and a franchise program for new operators.
Is Junbi a public or private company?
Junbi is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Junbi founded?
Junbi was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Junbi based?
Junbi is headquartered in California City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Junbi make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Store Sales are the primary driver. The others are E-commerce Product Sales, franchise Fees and catering Services.
Who are Junbi's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Ito En, Republic of Tea, Teavana (Starbucks), Blue Bottle Coffee and Dutch Bros Coffee. Direct peers are Cha Cha Matcha, Tenzo Tea, Ippodo Tea and MatchaBar (M Tea). Kettl Tea is listed as an emerging player.
Does Junbi have an API?
No public API is recorded for Junbi.
What industry is Junbi in?
Junbi's product category is Specialty Tea Café. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAKAE, Matcha Bars, with a secondary code of AFAFAIAH, Powdered & Dry Beverage Mix Co-Packing (Instant Drinks, Sachets). Its NAICS code is 44529 and its SIC code is 5812.