A first order that fits your business.
Matcha minimum orders depend on the grade, packaging, and shipping plan. Here’s how to choose a practical starting quantity without buying more than you need.
Why MOQ isn't one number
A minimum order quantity isn't an arbitrary gate. It's the point where the fixed costs of producing your order stop swamping the value of the order itself. Change what you're ordering and that point moves.
Which is why a supplier quoting one universal MOQ across their whole range is either simplifying heavily or pricing the flexibility in somewhere else.
The five things that move it
- Grade and harvest. High grades come from limited lots — the constraint can be genuine scarcity rather than economics.
- Milling. Stone milling is slow. A mill run has setup and cleaning overhead regardless of size, so very small runs carry a disproportionate share.
- Packaging. This is usually the real driver for branded work. Custom pouches, tins, and printed film have their own supplier minimums, and those are often set by the packaging maker rather than by us.
- Standard vs custom. Bulk matcha in a standard bag can start much smaller than the same matcha in your own printed packaging.
- Freight mode. Air freight is viable for small quantities; ocean shipping only makes economic sense above a certain volume. Sometimes what looks like a supplier MOQ is really a shipping threshold.
A low MOQ is not automatically the better deal
It's a real benefit when you're validating a product and don't want to sit on inventory. But be clear about the trade-off: small orders carry higher per-unit cost, and a supplier advertising a very low minimum has usually recovered the difference in the unit price or in a packaging fee.
The failure mode at the other end is worse, though. Over-ordering to hit a price break, then watching bright matcha oxidize in storage, destroys more value than the discount created. Matcha is perishable in the ways that matter — color and aroma fade with air, heat, and light.
Order to turnover, not to the price break.
How to plan a first order
- Sample first. Confirm the powder in your actual recipe before volume is a question at all.
- Estimate real usage. Grams per serving times servings per week, per location. Most buyers overestimate.
- Pick a horizon. Enough to cover a sensible period plus reorder lead time, not a year of stock.
- Check the pack size separately. Total volume and per-bag size are different decisions. A big order in bags too large for one location's turnover still goes stale.
- Ask what the second order looks like. If a first run needs a higher minimum because of packaging setup, reorders are often easier — worth knowing before you judge the first number.
Our minimum order
For our five cafe lines the minimum order is 5 kg at the published price per kilogram, with free shipping on 10 kg or more and a flat $150 shipping on 5 to 9 kg. You can mix any grades in 1 kg or 500 g bags, so a first order can cover a latte base and a step-up grade together. We set 5 kg because every shipment from Japan carries a fixed customs cost, and below that it outweighs the matcha. Private-label programs depend on the packaging format and are quoted separately.
Not sure 5 kg fits? Tell us how quickly you'd get through it and we'll say plainly whether it makes sense for you. What it costs is covered in the pricing guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order quantity for wholesale matcha?
It depends on the supplier and the packaging. For our cafe lines the minimum is 5 kg per order, and you can mix any grades in 1 kg or 500 g bags. Custom-printed retail packaging carries the packaging supplier's own minimums, so private-label programs are set separately.
Can I test the product before a full order?
Start with a free sample kit instead: up to two grades, free, to test in your own recipe. Wholesale orders for our cafe lines start at 5 kg, and you can split that across several grades.
Why is custom packaging the biggest factor in MOQ?
Printed pouches, tins, and film are produced in runs with their own minimums set by the packaging manufacturer. That constraint usually sits upstream of the matcha itself and is what sets the floor for branded programs.
Should I order more to get a lower price per kilogram?
Only if you will actually use it in a reasonable time. Matcha loses color and aroma through exposure to air, heat, and light, so stock that outlasts its freshness costs more than the discount saved.
Work out the right first order
Tell us the grade, format, and how fast you'd get through it, and we'll work out a sensible starting volume with you.