The Beginnings of Matcha Yu Tea
Erin (founder of Matcha Yu Tea) was honoured to be interviewed by David Lyons from the Australian Tea Cultural Society.
We hope you enjoy the read of how Matcha Yu Tea came to be.
MEMBER PROFILE by Australian Tea Cultural Society
You're 13 years of age and you've just started studying Japanese at high school - where might that classroom experience take you?
For this Japanophile, it was towards tea.
Lindwall’s fascination with all things Japanese started when, at age 13, she commenced studying the language. This eventually led to a working holiday in Kyoto, teaching English to Japanese students.
On an amazing journey of discovery for Erin, she stumbled upon matcha desserts – in particular the parfaits that were often served with piping hot hojicha.
Erin fell in love with the concept and dreamed of offering something similar back in Australia.
One of her students, who was learning English to help the family business with overseas exports, caught Erin's imagination.
The woman came from a family of multi-generational tea farmers in Uji that had received multiple Emperor Awards for their high quality matcha. The student offered to make matcha for her and Erin fell in love with not only the matcha, but the story behind this tea.
There was, however, a slight stumbling block when Erin returned to Australia to discover that quality matcha was not easily accessible. It was at this moment that she became motivated to change things, to offer the authentic taste of Japan to an Australian audience.
And so, Matcha Yu Tea was born in March 2018.
In those early days of the business, what did you find difficult?
Erin: Sourcing 100 per cent home-compostable packaging for our tea was quite challenging. I ended up receiving packaging samples from all over Australia, but the pouches I went with are from New Zealand because they were fully home compostable yet gave triple-barrier protection to store and protect the precious matcha.
I was lucky I had my tea supplier contact in my former English student, so I started by importing tea from her family farm as well as other tea that she sourced for me.
To test the waters, I did a crowdfunding campaign to launch the business and found that was helpful in giving me the evidence I needed to start, as opposed to just launching and wondering what kind of support I would receive.
What would you say has been a highlight for the business?
Erin: I pinch myself daily that I’m so lucky to be able to provide a daily connection to Japanese culture for myself and for my Australian customers. It’s a privilege and a joy.
Having my tea used in Australian cafes, particularly Japanese-run ones, is an honour for me too.
What’s your bestseller?
Erin: Our bestseller is our Organic Everyday Matcha from Kyushu, Japan. It’s economical yet high quality, great to drink on its own or in a matcha latte. It is also the matcha we sell to our cafe stockists.
If there was one thing you could change that would help your business thrive in Australia, what would it be?
Erin: I think just getting that education out there in the mainstream of what high quality matcha should taste like. It’s a shame when people try matcha and don’t like it, but the reason why they don’t like it has more to do with the poor quality and inferior taste. It’s my job to educate and show people that matcha can be delicious as well as being an amazing addition to your life, both for the health benefits, energy boost and mindfulness ritual.
Erin: Yes, attending some of the larger markets like The Big Design Market and Finders Keepers later this year will help reach a broader audience.
A trip to Japan to continue strengthening relationships with our tea contacts, as well as keeping myself up to date with the tea industry there, will help grow and continue developing Matcha Yu Tea.
At present we are looking to revamp our packaging and to release some beautiful matcha tea sets later in the year.
Why should people consider Matcha Yu Tea for their next purchase?
Erin: I have drunk matcha for more than 10 years and can confidently say I have a very good idea of what a high quality matcha should taste like.
I would never sell anything I’m not 100 per cent happy with, and our repeat customers, along with the five-star reviews, show that others also love Matcha Yu Tea.
My deep connection with Japanese culture means that my heart and soul is in this business, and nothing makes me happier than hearing from our customers, especially the positive impact matcha has made on their health and wellbeing.
I’ve also been focused on sustainability from day one of the business, offering tea in only 100 per cent home-compostable packaging.
This remains one of our core values and I’m sure there are a lot of other like-minded people out there who seek this type of sustainably led business.
