Japan’s tea export volume grew substantially, soaring by 21.0% to 7,579 tons in 2023. This surge in volume underscores the growing international demand for Japanese tea products across various market segments.
TAIPEI, TAIWAN (The CTP News) – In recent years, there has been a noticeable surge in the availability of matcha-flavored options despite coffee and tea traditionally dominating as the most popular choices. This trend underscores the growing popularity of matcha within the beverage industry, leading many beverage and dessert establishments to introduce matcha-infused menus to meet consumer demand.
According to trade statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Finance, tea export is poised for significant growth in 2023, with a projected increase of 33.3% compared to the previous year. This surge is expected to propel tea exports to a record high of 29.2 billion yen, marking the fourth consecutive year of setting new records. Notably, “powder tea” varieties, such as matcha, experienced a substantial increase of 46.7%, while other tea categories, like sencha tea, saw a more modest growth of 5.9%. Export volume also saw a notable increase of 21.0%, totaling 7,579 tons. Sales of powdered tea led to this growth, experiencing a significant increase of 34.8%, compared to a 6.7% increase in other tea varieties.
The United States is the largest export destination for Japanese tea, an increase of 49.6% over the previous year, reaching 15.7 billion yen, accounting for 53.8% of the total. Taiwan ranked second with a growth of 16.8% of 2.2 billion yen, and Germany ranked third at 7.0% of 1.9 billion yen. Among them, the sales volume of matcha has increased most significantly. Matcha food is becoming more and more widely used. Many beverage and dessert shops have launched matcha-flavored menus, showing that matcha has become a new favorite among consumers.