Japan Tea Promotion in the United States for FY2026
Overview
The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO) will launch new content called “OCHA SHOP CHANNEL” in October 2026, against a backdrop of growing interest in Japanese green tea in the United States. Producers and businesses will introduce their products’ origins, characteristics, production methods, and brewing techniques through YouTube, Instagram, podcasts, and a website. In addition, JFOODO will completely renew its official Amazon Store Front and strengthen pathways from introductions of diverse Japanese teas to purchase destinations. Starting with matcha, the initiative aims to expand interest to hojicha, sencha, gyokuro, genmaicha, and other teas, creating demand for Japanese green tea and expanding sales channels for Japanese tea businesses in the United States.
Key points
- “OCHA SHOP CHANNEL” will launch from October 2026.
- The official Amazon Store Front will be completely renewed.
- Interest will be expanded to diverse Japanese teas beyond matcha.
- The initiative aims to expand sales channels for Japanese tea businesses in the United States.
Overview
For its Japanese tea promotion targeting the United States, the Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO) has used digital channels to communicate producers’ passion and ways to enjoy Japanese tea. Its official Instagram had reached 94,000 followers as of March 2026. In FY2026, JFOODO plans to connect the points of contact it has built with consumers in the United States from information dissemination through product selection and purchase.
The initiative will expand interest in matcha to Japanese teas as a whole, including hojicha, sencha, gyokuro, and genmaicha, which are enjoyed by brewing tea leaves, thereby contributing to demand creation and sales channel expansion.
Impact
Through “OCHA SHOP CHANNEL” and the Amazon Store Front, the initiative aims to connect consumers’ interest in Japanese tea in the United States with actual product selection and purchase, creating demand for Japanese green tea and expanding sales channels for Japanese tea businesses in the United States.
Details
On “OCHA SHOP CHANNEL,” producers and businesses will explain in their own words the products’ origins, tea leaf characteristics, and the care devoted to cultivation and production methods, as well as brewing techniques and food pairings. The main content will be centered on YouTube, with distribution also through Instagram short videos, podcasts, and the JFOODO website, directing viewers to purchase destinations such as the Amazon Store Front for the featured products.
On the Amazon Store Front, products will be organized so that users can choose them not only by tea type and characteristics but also by lifestyle and drinking occasions, such as “Morning Focus,” “Afternoon Reset,” and “Weekend Ritual.” Newly established banners will provide access to each business’s product page. JFOODO was established on April 1, 2017, and is currently recruiting participating businesses for its Japanese tea promotion targeting the United States.