Japanese matcha for Arizona.

Who we supply in Arizona

Arizona's growth has brought a wave of independent cafes, dessert shops, and boba operators, concentrated around Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, and the East Valley, with university markets in Tucson and Flagstaff. Because the climate pushes almost everything onto ice, matcha here is bought for how it performs cold and sweetened rather than for how it drinks as a straight bowl.

What Arizona does not have is a wholesale matcha supplier that lets a cafe taste the lot before buying. Search for one and you find national online sellers and retail tins, so most Phoenix and Tucson cafes order wholesale from a website and find out how it holds up over ice only after the bag is open. That is the gap the sample kit is for.

• Phoenix and Scottsdale independents where iced matcha lattes outsell hot ones by a wide margin.
• Boba shops around ASU in Tempe and the East Valley suburbs.
• University markets in Tucson and Flagstaff with sharp term-time seasonality.
• Resort and hotel food and beverage in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.

Shipping to Arizona

For a cafe, boba shop, or resort kitchen, there is nothing to import. Sample kits go out by USPS after we reply, usually within 24 hours. Wholesale orders are milled to order in Japan and shipped to your address in Arizona with customs handled on our side, so the first time you touch the product is when the box arrives at your door. Lead time is 7 to 14 days from payment.

• Samples: up to two grades, two sealed 10 g sachets each, sent by USPS to any Arizona food or beverage business.
• Wholesale orders: from 5 kg, grades mixed as you like in 1 kg or 500 g bags, shipped from Japan to your address in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Tucson, Flagstaff, or anywhere else in the state.
• Container scale: distributors importing on their own account clear at Los Angeles or Long Beach and truck to Phoenix in a day, or use Sky Harbor for air cargo. Phoenix then works as the distribution point for the rest of the state.

Licensing in Arizona

Beyond the federal import requirements, food safety in Arizona is split: the Arizona Department of Agriculture oversees manufactured and processed food, while county health departments — Maricopa and Pima most often — permit retail food establishments. Which applies depends on whether you serve, store, or repack. Confirm with the relevant agency before ordering.

• Serving matcha drinks is a county food establishment matter; storing or repacking wholesale stock generally is not.
• Putting bulk matcha into your own retail packaging moves you into manufactured-food territory.

Iced drinks and summer storage in Phoenix

Arizona drinks matcha cold for most of the year, so the grade that matters is the one that keeps its green and its umami over ice, through a blender, and under milk and syrup. Our Ceremonial Barista line is selected for exactly that, and Organic Cafe covers the same service for menus that want an organic line. Order those two as your sample kit, make your actual iced latte and your actual boba recipe with each, and taste them next to the powder you use today.

Heat is the other half of the job. Color and aroma degrade measurably faster in warm storage, and a tin left on a back-bar shelf through July is a different product by August. The dry air helps — moisture is the other degradation driver and Arizona has very little of it — but temperature alone is enough to do damage. Keep unopened stock refrigerated or in the coolest room you have, let sealed bags come to room temperature before opening so condensation does not form inside, and order quantities you will turn over in weeks rather than months. Because every wholesale order is milled to order and shipped from Japan, smaller and more frequent orders arrive fresher than one large order that sits through a Phoenix summer.

Your first order, step by step

Start with up to two grades of your choice. Free sample kits are available for US businesses. Test them in your own recipes before choosing your first wholesale order.

• Tell us what you serve. Share your menu, milk, cup size, and expected volume.
• Taste with your team. Compare the samples in the drinks your customers order.
• Get a delivery quote. Confirm grade, quantity, and shipping to Phoenix. Wholesale orders ship from Japan.