On July 31, ITO EN announced a price revision for 19 matcha products (including those for tea ceremony use and tea gatherings) and 32 green tea leaf products (such as packaged tea, tea bags, granulated tea, and matcha).
This adjustment aims not only to absorb rising costs like energy but also to ensure profit returns to producers amid decreasing cultivation areas and production volumes.
The reductions in cultivation and production are attributed to factors such as aging workforce in tea farming and a shortage of successors. Meanwhile, global demand for green tea and matcha products continues to grow, leading to a supply-demand imbalance.
According to ITO EN, the entire tea industry is experiencing ongoing price hikes due to raw material shortages.
The new prices will take effect on September 1 for matcha products and October 1 for green tea leaves.
Suggested retail prices will increase by 48.8% to 100% for matcha and 3.3% to 50.0% for green tea leaves.
For example, the 30g “Juei no Mukashi” matcha will increase from 2800 yen to 4200 yen before tax, a 50% hike.
With an open pricing system, the reference price for functional food green tea leaf product “Ichiban Tsumi no Oi Ocha 1200” will rise from 1200 yen to 1260 yen before tax.
