Japanese matcha for Maine.

Who we supply in Maine

Portland's restaurant and cafe density is genuinely unusual for a city of its size, with operators who source carefully and customers who expect it. Bar Harbor and the coastal towns run on a compressed summer season, Bangor and Brunswick trade steadily year round, and the state's small food producers form an ingredient market of their own.

• Portland cafes and restaurants, a serious food market at small-city scale.
• Coastal seasonal operators in Bar Harbor, Camden, and Kennebunkport.
• Bangor and inland independents with steady year-round demand.
• Small food producers buying matcha as an ingredient.

Shipping to Maine

Maine is served principally through Boston, with the Port of NY/NJ used for larger volumes and Portland's own port handling limited container traffic. Air freight arrives through Logan with a road leg north.

• Ocean: Boston, then about two hours north to Portland.
• Air: Logan, with the same road leg.
• Onward: Portland to Bar Harbor is a further three hours, and summer traffic makes that longer than it looks.

Licensing in Maine

Federal import requirements apply as everywhere. At state level, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry licenses food establishments including manufacturing and wholesale operations, while eating establishments are licensed through the state's health and inspection programs. Confirm your category before ordering.

• Manufacturing and wholesale licensing runs through DACF.
• Seasonal operations should confirm licensing timing before the season rather than during it.

A year's business in a summer

For coastal Maine the season is short and heavy, and matcha bought on an annual-average basis will be wrong in both directions — short in August, stale in November. The fix is to plan the order around the peak rather than the year, and to accept a slightly higher unit cost for a smaller, better-timed shipment.

Portland's year-round operators have the opposite problem: steady demand that makes over-ordering tempting because the discount is there. The same discipline applies. Matcha is at its best within months of milling, and a lot bought in March that is still being poured in December is not the product you tasted. We would rather set up two or three well-timed shipments a year than one large one, and we will hold quantity from your lot where we can so the later shipments match the first.

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 Portland. Wholesale orders ship from Japan.