Japanese matcha for South Carolina.

Who we supply in South Carolina

South Carolina's demand is restaurant-led more than cafe-led. Charleston's dining scene draws national attention and buys accordingly — chefs here will take a ceremonial lot seriously as a dessert or beverage component. Greenville has grown into a genuine independent cafe market, Columbia adds university demand, and the Grand Strand brings heavy seasonal tourism volume.

• Charleston restaurants and hotels where quality tolerance is high and menus change often.
• Greenville independents with a fast-growing downtown cafe scene.
• Columbia's university market, term-driven and price-sensitive.
• Myrtle Beach seasonal operators with a compressed summer.

Shipping to South Carolina

The Port of Charleston is one of the deepest harbors on the East Coast and handles significant container volume, which puts a major gateway right next to the state's most demanding customers. Inland, Greenville and Spartanburg are served by the port's inland terminal network. Air freight arrives through Charlotte or Atlanta.

• Ocean: Charleston, with inland rail service to the Upstate.
• Air: Charlotte or Atlanta with a short road leg.
• Onward: Charleston to Greenville is about three and a half hours; the state is compact enough for one delivery route.

Licensing in South Carolina

Federal import requirements apply as everywhere. At state level, food safety functions moved from DHEC to the South Carolina Department of Public Health in the 2024 reorganization, with the Department of Agriculture also involved in some food establishment matters. Confirm current requirements with the state before your first order — this is one of the states where guidance published a few years ago may name the wrong agency.

• Check the agency name as well as the requirement; the 2024 reorganization changed who to ask.
• Storing or repacking wholesale stock is a separate question from a restaurant permit.

Selling to chefs rather than to baristas

A cafe buys matcha for a drink that will be on the menu for years. A Charleston chef may buy it for a dessert that runs for a season, and will judge it on how it behaves alongside cream, sugar, citrus, and salt rather than on how it drinks with milk. Those are different evaluations and they favor different lots.

Practically, restaurant accounts tend to want smaller quantities of a better lot, delivered more often, with the flexibility to switch as menus change. That is a perfectly good business for us — it is closer to how matcha is actually sold in Japan than the bulk cafe model is. If you are a chef rather than a cafe operator, say so when you ask for samples and we will send with the plate in mind rather than the cup.

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 Charleston. Wholesale orders ship from Japan.