Archive · 2 Aug 2025
Matcha Shortage: Japan's Green Tea Faces Global Demand Squeeze
Matcha, a popular green tea, is becoming a global sensation!
However, Japan, where matcha comes from, is having trouble keeping up with how much people want.
There's not enough tea to go around, and prices are going up.
This is because of things like a really hot summer that hurt the tea plants, fewer young people becoming tea farmers, and more people from other countries wanting to buy it.
Now, shops in Japan are limiting how much matcha people can buy.
Experts worry that matcha is being used in ways that don't respect its traditional uses, and they encourage people to use different grades of matcha for different things.
The market is estimated to reach $5.5 billion by 2030.
Global demand for matcha is soaring, but Japan faces a shortage.
Matcha production has nearly tripled in the last decade, but supply struggles.
A record-breaking heatwave in 2023 damaged tea bushes in Kyoto, the heart of matcha production.
Japan's aging agricultural workforce and rising U.S. tariffs are also factors.
Experts warn that matcha's popularity risks diluting its cultural value.
- Who
- Japanese tea farmers and producers.
- What
- Japan is facing a matcha shortage despite high global demand.
- When
- Matcha production has nearly tripled over the past decade.
- Where
- Japan, particularly the Kyoto region.
- Why
- Due to rising global demand, climate change, and an aging workforce.
- Market Growth Estimate
- $5.5 billion by 2030
- Matcha Production Increase
- Nearly tripled in the last decade
- Affected Region
- Kyoto, Japan
- Shop Restrictions
- One-can-per-person rule