Matcha wholesale for US buyers, direct from Japan

Direct from Japan vs buying from a US distributor

Both are legitimate structures, and the right one depends on volume and appetite for paperwork.

• Through a US distributor: simpler. They are the importer of record, they carry the compliance burden and the inventory, and you pay for that in the unit price. Good at low volume or when you want to move fast.
• Direct from Japan: you become the importer, with the compliance responsibilities described below. In return you get producer-level pricing, control over the specification, and traceability you can actually describe to your customers.

Direct usually starts to make sense once your volume is predictable and you care about the specific product rather than just having matcha in stock.

What a US importer is responsible for

This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice — confirm your own obligations with a customs broker or regulatory advisor. But these are the pieces that come up on every food import from Japan.

• Foreign facility registration. The facility that manufactures, processes, or packs the food has to be registered with the FDA, and its registration number is used in the entry filing.
• Prior Notice. The FDA must be notified of each incoming food shipment before it arrives, with the timing depending on the mode of transport. This is filed for every shipment, not once per supplier.
• FSVP. Under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, the US importer — not the Japanese supplier — is required to verify that its foreign suppliers produce food meeting US safety standards. For tea, the hazards you'd typically be documenting include pesticide residues, heavy metals, and contamination.
• Entry identification. FSVP importers need a unique facility identifier to provide when filing entry with CBP.
• Organic paperwork, if applicable. Organic shipments need an electronic NOP Import Certificate issued before export — see our organic matcha guide.
• Labelling. Your retail packaging has to meet US food labeling rules, which are not the same as Japanese ones.

What a good supplier does to make this easier

None of the above is the supplier's legal responsibility, but a supplier used to US-bound shipments makes it far less painful.

• Provides the facility registration details needed for the entry filing without being chased.
• Supplies documentation that supports your FSVP file rather than leaving you to build it from nothing.
• Gets shipping documents right the first time, since errors at entry cost days.
• Flags certification or paperwork constraints before you place the order, not after the container is booked.

When you evaluate suppliers, ask how many US-bound shipments they've handled and what documentation they routinely provide. The answer separates exporters from domestic sellers who also take export orders.

Where we sit

Japan Matcha Prime is a Japan-based supplier, operated by ACTIE Inc. We source and ship from Japan rather than holding US inventory, which is what makes direct sourcing worthwhile — but it also means you should plan the import chain up front rather than treating it as a shipping detail.

If you'd rather not be the importer of record, say so early. It's a legitimate constraint, and it changes what we'd recommend.

Practical planning notes

• Lead time is not just transit time. Harvest timing, milling, packing, documentation, sailing, and customs clearance all stack up. Plan reorders well before you run out.
• Freight mode changes the math. Air freight is fast and expensive; ocean freight is economical at volume but adds weeks. This is often the largest single variable in landed cost.
• Landed cost is the number that matters. Compare the unit price plus freight, duties, brokerage, and your own compliance overhead — not the quoted price per kilogram alone.
• Storage on arrival. Matcha degrades with heat, light, and air. Sort out how you'll store it before the pallet lands.