On June 12, 2026, Chinese media outlet Global Times published an article analyzing the reasons why Chinese-produced matcha is gaining popularity worldwide.

According to the '2026 China Matcha Industry Development Report' released by the China Tea Marketing Association at the end of May, China's matcha production in 2025 exceeded 12,000 tons, accounting for approximately 70% of global production. The average annual growth rate over the past five years reached 28.67%. In Zhejiang and Guizhou provinces, where matcha production is thriving, the shortage of supply in the international market was seen as an opportunity, leading to advancements in sophisticated processing technology and quality improvement. As a result, each region has formed industrial clusters leveraging their respective strengths, with high-grade matcha trading at up to 580,000 yuan (approximately 13.92 million yen) per ton.

The article raised the question of 'why Chinese-produced matcha was able to break away from low-cost OEM production, significantly expand the number of companies, related industrial chains, and export volume, and grow into a major supplier in the global high-grade matcha market,' and interviewed industry stakeholders.

The results pointed to factors such as 'automated systems that manage processes like shade cultivation, steaming, and ultra-fine grinding,' 'advanced equipment such as ultra-fine pulverizers and jet mills capable of combining precise work with increased production,' 'joint research with research institutions like the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences on variety selection and cultivation environment,' and 'the establishment of systematic technical standards'.

The article also introduced interviews with tea farmers. One farmer stated, 'Before the development of the matcha industry, only spring tea could be sold at a high price, and there were no buyers for summer and autumn tea leaves, but now we can earn a stable income throughout the year'.

Furthermore, it introduced the establishment of a profit-sharing model of 'enterprise + cooperative (Chinese version of a cooperative) + farmer' and how it led to expanded employment and increased income for approximately 110,000 tea farmers in Tongren City, Guizhou Province, evaluating that 'the benefits of the matcha industry extend to many tea farmers'.

On the other hand, it pointed out that 'to further develop the international market in the future, market cultivation and awareness improvement for high-grade matcha products remain challenges, and it is important to enhance cultural confidence in Chinese-produced matcha'.

Finally, the article introduced that 'the integration of the tea industry and tourism, mediated by matcha, is progressing in various regions through the development of new tea sweets and factory tour programs.' It also reported that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Guizhou Province aims to incorporate matcha into 10,000 consumption scenarios and expand the total output value of related industries to 10 billion yuan (approximately 240 billion yen). (Translation/Editing by Kuniyuki Hara)