Meet The Business ~ Matcha Dao
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Matcha tea has become a trendy ingredient for drinks, desserts and other tasty treats! With its amazing health benefits, it's no wonder this powder has become popular in recent times! In today's business interview, I am talking to Dan from Matcha Dao, an organic matcha powder business! He's going to be giving some insight into this amazing powder, why you should be consuming it and talk to you about his business!
Hi there! Could you tell me a bit about yourself & your business?
Hello! We are a husband and wife team living in West Yorkshire. We are passionate about all thing’s food and drink! My background is the food and beverage industry, so I know a thing or two about good products. A couple of years ago, we set up our own independent coffee shop. It was a huge success – well, at least until Covid-19 came along.
More recently, we started Matcha Dao, which is an online speciality tea shop. We sell a range of teas, all of which are carefully sourced from a family-run farm in Japan. We specialise in matcha teas and have a range at different prices. All of our products are certified organic by the Soil Association in the UK.
Why did you decide to start a matcha tea business?
We set up a matcha tea business for two reasons, the first one is we love tea, and we love how obsessive the Japanese are with their production methods and techniques. There really is no comparison to the love and care they put into their teas. Our Japanese partners have been cultivating teas for centuries with the same family throughout generations.
The second reason is we wanted to expand on our coffee shop, especially since lockdown we were forced to close our doors. So, we used this time to launch matchadao.com and to diversify, having a second revenue stream.
What is matcha & how does it benefit the human body?
Matcha is a powdered green tea which originates from Japan. It was originally used as a medicine and also as part of a tea ceremony; ‘The Way of Tea’ throughout Japanese history. During this tea ceremony matcha would be shared while the meditated. It was often used by monks as a way to help focus and cultivate and awakened presence.
Matcha has so many health benefits backed by extensive scientific research. It has more antioxidants than any other superfood that exists on the market. I could go on for a very long time about this subject, so I will bullet the main health benefits of matcha which are:
- Antioxidant-rich & includes catechins
- Rich in nutrients
- Source of vitamins, fibre, minerals & amino acids
- Boosts metabolism & burn calories
- Reduces stress, aids relaxation
- Improves mood
- Helps focus & concentration
- Lowers cholesterol & blood sugar
- Improve energy
- Boosts immune system
- Improves gut health
- Has cancer prevention properties
What makes your matcha tea special from others out there?
First of all, we specialise in all quality grades of matcha tea at various price points. We do this because we want to educate consumers on why matcha is different. When we first started drinking different brands of matcha, we learned that some of the teas were low-grade matcha from China. It was sold as premium ‘ceremonial’ matcha from Japan. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses have jumped on the matcha trend to make a quick buck, and we are trying to fix that.
We want to get the message out why our teas are great. Firstly, they are all certified organic to both Japan and UK standards. We have chosen to work with a family business that has generations of experience in producing matcha. Their production methods are so advanced, it makes a difference to every cup – it’s all about the detail!
The environment where our teas are produced is also very unique. They are made in Kagoshima, which is the second-largest tea growing region in Japan. The exact location means they have the optimum climate for growing the matcha tea plant. This location also benefits from the fresh spring water running from the Kagoshima mountains, which, naturally nourishes the soil making the plantation mineral-rich.
You sell lots of different types of matcha, which one is your favourite & why?
My favourite matcha is our most premium; Organic Ceremonial Matcha.
This is our finest quality matcha, and while it is more expensive than the others, there are good reasons for it.
Ceremonial matcha is made with the finest grade of carefully hand-picked tea leaves. This means that the matcha tastes more smooth, creamy and not bitter like the lower quality grades. They are also much richer in nutrients than lower grades, so you know you are getting the best hit of all of the health benefits mentioned above!
What is your favourite part about working for yourself at Matcha Dao?
I enjoy most the flexibility of running our own businesses and working with my wife and my dog. Although the dog isn’t that helpful, she does give me a break occasionally!
What challenges have you faced when setting up and running your business?
I would say there have been 2 major challenges. The first one was setting up in the first place, it’s a big risk. It can be a huge decision to make the change and put your financial situation at risk too.
The next one is Covid-19. You just cannot plan for something like a global pandemic, and it gives you so much uncertainty. There is always doubt at the back of the mind. When will things go back to normal and how long it will take? No one has that crystal ball!
Is there anything you’re working toward or wanting to achieve?
Match Dao is a big focus for me right now, we only went live with this project a couple of weeks ago, so the business is in its infancy. I will be spending a lot of time working to build this brand and get the matcha message out there!
If you could sum Matcha Dao in 5 words, what would they be?
Green Tea
Health Benefits
Antioxidant Powerhouse
Drink Green
The Way of Tea
Sorry I know it’s more than 5! ;)
Thank you for answering the questions! Did you have anything else you would like to tell the world?
Thank you very much for taking the time to interview and feature us! I would love to tell the world to drink green and to reach out to us for any tea-related questions!
Thank you to Dan at Matcha Dao for this insightful interview! I hope you have learnt about matcha green tea and why you should be drinking it! Matcha seems to have so many benefits, and you'll be supporting two families with Matcha Dao! I think it is amazing that people are still setting up businesses in the middle of a pandemic! Have you ever tried matcha? Let me know in the comments how you tried it and what you thought!
26 comments
The first time I tried matcha tea I wasn't a fan but I've slowly become used to the taste and drink much more nowadays. I love this style of blogging, great interview, really interesting!
ReplyDeleteChris
I think it is a unique flavour, but I too am growing to like it more! I love experimenting with what you can use it in! Thank you for reading,
DeleteEm x
I have learnt so much about Matcha in this post! I didn't realise all the health benefits tht you can getfrom drinking it. Really interesting and a lovely insight into the business. I hope they are able to come through the covid-19 situation. Also I love how these are based in West Yorkshire, that's my neck of the woods so I will have to try find their cafe/coffee shop!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
What a small world! I think it is great that they adapted to the online business to stay afloat during the pandemic. I think they're an amazing business and I also didn't realise the benefits of Matcha! Thank you for reading,
DeleteEm x
This was such an interesting post. I love matcha tea so I'm definitely going to have a look at their website.
ReplyDeletewww.thekellydianereport.co.uk
I think it is a really interesting post! Thank you for reading,
DeleteEm x
I've never really tried matcha tea before as it's never appealed to me but after reading this and all the benefits, I'll have to give it a go!
ReplyDeleteTash - https://www.agirlwithview.co.uk
I didn't realise how good Matcha was either! Thank you for reading,
DeleteEm x
I've never had matcha but I will defo try it out soon, I didn't realise it has so many health benefits!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise how good Matcha was either! Thank you for reading,
DeleteEm x
I've never had matcha tea before; but my best friend has and is a fan. I will have to get into it - it has some great benefits! Thanks for sharing x
ReplyDeletePaige // Paige Eades
There are so many benefits that I didn't realise either. I think it is a great products Thank you for reading,
DeleteEm x
This sounds like such a great Matcha Tea company. I haven't really ever tried it before, but I've heard such great things about it. Maybe I should try it out. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete-Charity https://morningsonmacedonia.com
There are so many benefits I didn't realise! Thank you for taking the time to read & comment,
DeleteEm x
I've never tried matcha tea, but I'll deffinitely be♡
ReplyDeletefleetinggyal.blogspot.com
Thank you for taking the time to read & comment,
DeleteEm x
Wow, Something about tea in the form of an interview. Loved the way you neatly presented keep it up
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to read & comment,
DeleteEm x
Great interview! I loved hearing about a new brand!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to read & comment,
DeleteEm x
I don't really know anything about matcha and I haven't tried it before so this is a very informative post! I'm looking forward to trying it soon, thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting. I also didn't realise how beneficial matcha it!
DeleteEm x
There's so much great info here! I have heard of matcha but never really knew a lot about it. Thanks for sharing, I'm hoping to check it out soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting. I am really excited to experiment with matcha and to experience the benefits
DeleteEm x
Thanks for sharing, I have heard about Matcha Tea, but always found it rarer expensive to try for me. This brand sound lovely will have a look at their products
ReplyDeleteNic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes
Thank you for reading and commenting. I think it can be expensive, but it is worth it when the product is quality and for the health benefits.
DeleteEm x