What it REALLY means to run a matcha business (in 2026) Pt 2

This is Part 2 of my "Behind the scenes" series where I share my own personal journey of my matcha business. Find Part 1 here

*if you want to skip the intro and want to jump straight to 2026, scroll down to the first image

Just a quick recap: I have been first introduced to matcha 17 years ago when i was living in New York City. Back then there really was no other matcha than good quality ceremonial grade matcha powder that you exclusively found in fine dining Japanese restaurants as a dessert pairing. Surprisingly, matcha ice cream has always been "a thing" as it's a traditional sweets flavour in Japan and Haagen-Dazs US released their first Green Tea flavor in the late 80ies ... but of course, the everything matcha flavoured hype is new and was unheard of.

Back then, matcha has not been part of any coffee shop menu nor has buying the powder itself been widely available. I had my first taste in a tea shop in Soho where a Japanese woman offered a matcha latte tasting in the back of the shop and I think she served it with sweetened soy milk which was the only plant-based milk available at that time. I was very intrigued by the drink as I had never had a sip of coffee at that time in my life (mid 20ies) but was open for anything weird and new (I was living on a part time raw food as well as eat anything foreign and different kind of diet at that time :-) so i obviously tried it. I do remember the colour being very green and bright and the first sip not necessarily pleasant but somehow it grew on me and by the end of my cup i really savoured the grassy fresh and pure flavor and I started to crave more...

Fast forward 7 years when I opened my first restaurant in Berlin inside the Adidas Runbase, offering matcha lattes as part of the beverage menu. I didnt have my own brand yet but was buying it from the only German online shop at that time that had ceremonial and exceptionally good matcha powder. I offered it with homemade almond soy milk sweetened with dates (which is still my go-to all-time-favorite milk combo). Oatly had just released their barista style oat milk and all the coffee shops in Berlin were adapting it but I never really liked it with matcha - neither for flavour nor texture - too heavy and thick. I can proudly say we were one of the first coffee shops in Berlin who offered a matcha latte with high quality matcha and a really amazing plant based milk alternative that we sometimes catered to over 200 people for different Adidas Events and Collaborations.

During that time I received a lot of positive feedback and also curiosity and interest in matcha and its health benefits (physical as well as mentla) so I started to offer matcha ceremonies before marathons, during yoga retreats, between business meetings and for internal activities at Zalando, Spotify and at Soho House. At that time, matcha was still not a "thing" but pretty much everyone who tried it, really liked it, especially my signature matcha latte version :-)

When I moved to France in 2019, I realised that matcha was even lesser known and all the matcha powders I could find in bio shops was straight up bad. I really wanted to bring my love for a daily morning matcha ritual to France and introduce people to the history as well as the more modern version of it. Thanks to my ex-partner who helped me start the company in March 2020, just when Covid hit, I could start this incredible journey running a matcha business as a one woman show (with lots of help, guidance and assistance of course - more on that later). I have already published part 1 of this series and today I want to share my current situation after the craziest matcha year 2025.

My "A week in the life of a matcha business owner" in May 2024 compared to January 2026:

2024: How does a “normal” day in the life of a matcha business owner look like?

• Most important are orders and customer service so checking emails and Grounded Matcha Instagram messages as this is where most people leave comments or ask questions

-> This is still true today: Daily check in's as well as a new feature on my website which is our B2B submission form if you want to work with us as a cafe or restaurant owner.

Although I dont use Instagram as much as I used to (different priorities last year but this year i will share more recipes, japan travel stories and updates on our new matcha powder), i still get quite a few messages and questions also regarding our different matcha grades, pre-order bowls, availabilities in different cities and still the main question: "Which milk do you use for your matcha latte?" :-) Find a little summary here

• Packing orders, printing labels and bringing orders to the Post office

-> When I am in France and not cooking, I still like to do these things myself, as it gives me a good overview on work flow and any kind of improvements that can be made. For example, we changed our printer to a Munbyn thermal printer which literally changed our lives :-) but this took a while to figure out and reactive my old computer so everyone in the office can access it... We also changed a few shipping packages from carton to recyclable "plastic" bags (less weight and sometimes also reduced shipping costs) and a more organised procedure.

• Inventory

-> to be honest, this is my weekest point and i am still trying to figure out a good system/ platform, to keep track especially after a crazy wild 2025 where we were constantly either sold out or desperately waiting for a new matcha batch to arrive. Read more on the matcha shortage in 2025 here. The original system looked something like this:

• customer / client orders matcha

• I am collecting orders

• I am sending a batch order to japan (10 - 20 kg)

• within a week we have freshly ground matcha powder directly from the factory in Japan

• delivery to customer / partners within another week

This is unfortunately over!

It worked perfectly and was a great with Japan but now we have to be at least 6 - 12 (!!) month ahead of not just ordering but also paying the amount we need (now we are talking 100 kg at a time and onwards) which makes the whole topic a whole lot harder especially as I am self funded and NOT an influencer who can tease pre-orders for cash flow. A big difference to other brands and companies but also, not my way of running a business ... so I am learning how to deal with these challenges and 2025 was definitely a big lesson and a great way to grow and take care of my brand and relationships with suppliers for long term and big picture goals.

• Building and acquiring new partnerships

-> Another maybe surprising fact is that I am not really doing much acquisition as it has never been my strongest quality trait. It feels uncomfortable and unnatural for me and trust me - I tried it - I walked into local coffee shops as well as in Paris and asked if they want to offer my matcha in their establishment and 9 out of 10 said NO (especially back in 2021).

And yes, I did make a few successful attempts but 90% of my business has grown word of mouth and by recommendations from other coffee shops and of course thanks to a lot of re-shares from other partners and coffee shops as well as YOU ! on social media. So in that sense, I am lucky but also very intentional as I try to focus on what lights me up (exchanging and talking to people in person, preparing matcha and serving / feeding others) instead of trying to do it all (at once) ... And also, every business has at least 2 seasons and winter is definitely my favorite one as its the time where more people in our industry have a bit more time to try, test and talk about new products and also planning events and collaborations for the year.

Things that are not on my daily agenda but need to be checked throughout the week / month:

• planning and organising upcoming events, collaborations and tastings

-> 2025 we opened our Matcha Bar with a great and unexpected success which was definitely one of my personal and professional highlights of the year. This year we are also going to use the space for tastings and events and fun drinks and sweets! I am so excited to share more with you! Sign up to the newsletter to stay up to date and also please feel free to reach out if you want to host Grounded Matcha at your cafe, yoga studio, company offsite event etc... here

• graphic design for special branding & collaborations

-> still working with the fabulous and talented James Hensby who also designed the new "Soft Renewal" matcha label that I am madly in love with!

Other than that we designed stickers for the last event in collaboration with HOKA at the Berlin Marathon and fine tuned the website! Could not have done any of this without James!

• photo shoot for content, products or collaborations

-> my last photoshoot was with the fabulous Aurelie in Les Landes. The inspiration and idea was to bring some Japan bar / late night food vibes to France and recreate what I have witnessed and loved about Japan on my last trip so much - the fusion and coexistence of old and new - ancient and modern - in food, tradition, culture and matcha. Find a recap and pictures here

Behind the scenes -> Some of our mood boards before the shoot...

• monthly accounting

-> Since I changed my business status in 2025, I am as usual doing my monthly taxes with my accountant but i am also way more aware of the purpose of each spending or saving compared to 2024 - making intentional decisions as well as having a bit of fun with an extra budget for photoshoots, upgrading equipment and work related travels :-)

And thanks to my friend Andi, who helps me since years with statistics and analytics (and telling me the hard truth of "wrong"decisions that I can only tolerate hearing from certain people), I learned to appreciate and enjoy excel sheets. Putting all my thoughts, ideas and their related prices into a system, has helped me to approach everything from a healthy distance with less emotional attachment which results in making smarter choices that are not only focused on what I personally want but also whats best for Grounded ...

• developing new recipes

-> currently not developing anything 😂 not super inspired and also a bit overstimulated on what I see on social media and honestly, there is a lot of great and inspirational content out there that for now I don't see myself contributing to... but let Spring come and I might (most probably) get back into the kitchen and develop some new drinks and dessert recipes for the new season of the Matcha Bar and also as a pairing for our premium pure matcha varieties.

• creating matcha accessories and new ceramic bowls especially Barista versions

-> In 2026 my goal and mission is to train new and already existing coffee shop partners even more on the correct matcha preparation. I can't see pre-made bottles of matcha "paste" ?! anymore and it's definitely not wat they do in busy coffee shops in Japan and how I was taught to pass on the tradition. And as my brand's message is to "translate ancient rituals into modern day life" - all that is left at this point is the handmade preparation with a bamboo whisk, the right temperature and amount of water, the correct whisking technique and a specially developed Barista Bowl for that use (meaning big enough for it to prepare up to 2 servings). This brings me to my ceramic pottery partners Marion Benoit and Uliana.

You might have already seen our new and beautiful Pink Bowl but we are also adding more pieces by Uli throughout the year. This is a BIG part of my work. Talking to the artist, explaining my vision, respecting their own and unique style and then finding a common ground on a collaborative level more than just me ordering ceramic pieces. Every collaboration is minimum 1 year and can go on for a long time (loved everything Elizaveta and me did for almost 4 years including our blue, green and forest stone bowl collection). This is a good example on how Grounded has evolved over the years and in which direction I want to go. It's not just one person (aka me) who creates and designs the brand - it's the sum of a few selected special people who give life and beauty to the brand and it's one of my favorite things about running my own business and giving a unique touch to my brand.

• Affiliate programs and brand deals

-> Continuing to work with very few but really great people from the sport, nutrition, lifestyle and holistic health world. I don't really have a strategy when it comes to brand and influencer deals - I also don't send a lot of free products to influencers but I do l ike to gift loyal customers and those who I know will be happy and curious to try my matcha - no matter if they mention it on Instagram or not... small little gestures will create ripple effects and a natural development.

Going to end this post right here and who knows, maybe in a year I will be ready to share Part 3 with very different stories to tell :-)

Thank you for reading until the end and for your ongoing support - on- and offline ❤️