Japanese matcha for Rhode Island.

Who we supply in Rhode Island

Providence's student population — a design school, an Ivy, and several other institutions in a compact city — supports a cafe and boba scene well beyond what the city's size would suggest, and it is a market with taste. Newport's tourism and restaurant economy is seasonal and high-spend, and the rest of the state trades steadily year round.

• Providence cafes and boba shops serving a dense, design-literate student market.
• Newport restaurants and hotels, seasonal and quality-led.
• Independent operators across Warwick and the Blackstone Valley.
• Japanese and Asian restaurants concentrated in Providence.

Shipping to Rhode Island

Rhode Island is served through Boston or the Port of NY/NJ, both within a straightforward truck leg, with the Port of Providence handling mainly bulk cargo. Air freight arrives through Boston or Providence's own airport for domestic legs.

• Ocean: Boston or the Port of NY/NJ, then a short road leg.
• Air: Logan, with a domestic connection into Providence if needed.
• Onward: nowhere in the state is more than about an hour from anywhere else.

Licensing in Rhode Island

Federal import requirements apply as everywhere. At state level, the Rhode Island Department of Health's Center for Food Protection licenses and inspects food businesses across the state — a single authority rather than the municipal boards used next door in Massachusetts. Confirm your category before ordering.

• One statewide licensing authority covers retail food, manufacturing, and wholesale.
• Operators with sites in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts should expect quite different processes on each side.

One authority for the whole state

For a small operator this is the practical difference between Rhode Island and its neighbor. Massachusetts licensing is municipal, so every new location means a new board of health. Rhode Island runs food licensing centrally through the Department of Health, so a second and third location deal with the same people and the same process.

That makes Rhode Island unusually easy to scale a small drink business in, and it is worth knowing if you are choosing between sites across the border. From a supply point of view it means we can plan a multi-site rollout here against a predictable timeline rather than a variable one — tell us the opening schedule and we will phase the shipments to match.

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 Providence. Wholesale orders ship from Japan.