Matcha Shortage? It's Real. Here's What You Need to Know.

If you’ve tried to order matcha lately and been met with “sold out” signs, you’re not imagining things. The global matcha shortage is very real, and it’s affecting tea shops, cafes, and matcha lovers around the world.

At Pluck, matcha has long been a fan favourite and a product we’re incredibly proud of. Our Organic Premium Ceremonial Matcha is grown with care, shade-cultivated for 28 days, and sourced directly from a vertically integrated family farm in Kagoshima, Japan. We have worked with this partner for nearly 10 years to ensure quality, consistency and sustainability. But even so, we were getting worried as the global matcha supply chain is under serious stress.

So what’s going on?

Here’s what we learned from our suppliers and partners on our most recent Japan trip:

1) Matcha Requires Specialized Cultivation

Matcha is not just any green tea. It’s made from tencha that is shaded for 28 days before harvest. This process increases chlorophyll and amino acid content, giving matcha its signature vibrant colour and umami flavour. But that shade doesn’t come easily. The cultivation requires labour-intensive processes such as the application of shading blankets and constant monitoring for leaf quality. This limits the number of tea gardens that are specialized for tencha, and ultimately puts a cap on the amount of leaves available for matcha.

2) Increased Global Demand

Matcha has gone mainstream. Once a niche item for tea enthusiasts, matcha is now everywhere - in lattes, smoothies, desserts, cocktails, and even skincare. This surge in popularity is wonderful for tea culture, but it’s also straining the supply of Japanese matcha.

3) Farmers in Japan are Retiring

In 2024, over 900 tea farmers retired in Shizuoka - Japan’s largest tea-growing region. Many of these farms are passed down through generations, but younger people are increasingly moving to cities, leaving fewer successors to take the fields. Fewer farmers = less tea leaves.

4) A Limited Number of Tencha Factories

Harvested tea leaves need to be processed quickly and delicately in specialized tencha factories. These facilities are expensive and complex to build, and independent farmers often have to compete for time in these shared spaces. With limited capacity, not all leaves get processed on time and that leads to reduced matcha production.

5) Climate Change

Record-breaking heat in parts of Japan compromised the 2024 tea harvest. Experts predict the same or worse heat might impact the tea farms in the coming seasons. The extreme weather caused more farms to prune their plants aggressively to ensure future growth. Pruned plants, however, need time to recover, meaning they won’t be ready to harvest again until new growth is established. Likely not until the next harvest season.

So yes, the matcha shortage is real.

But here’s the good news…

We’ve got you.

On our most recent trip to Japan, we worked directly with partners to secure all the certified organic matcha we’ll need for this year and beyond. We saw the reality of the shortage firsthand - limits on tins, sold-out signs, and long queues outside teahouses. But our timing couldn’t have been better. We arrived during the final days of the shincha (first flush) harvest and were able to lock in enough certified organic matcha to support our growing tea community.

It was an important reminder of just how complex the journey from field to cup really is. That’s why we remain so committed to showing up for our suppliers and customers whenever possible.

At Pluck, we’ll always prioritize transparency, quality, and sustainable sourcing. So the next time you whisk up a matcha latte, know that there’s a story behind every vibrant green scoop and a whole community working hard to bring it to your cup.

Matcha lovers, we’ve got you covered ❤️

Shop our Certified Organic Matcha Collection →