World's First: "International Matcha Association" Established
The International Matcha Association (IMA) was established to address issues like mislabeling and lack of standards in the growing global matcha market. Supported by global experts, it aims to protect and grow the industry sustainably.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 00:02 (5h 2m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 00:35 (33 min after Collected)
The International Matcha Association (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director: Ryo Iwamoto / Hereinafter "IMA"), a non-profit general incorporated association, is an international organization established to address structural issues in the rapidly expanding global matcha market, such as the "widening supply-demand gap," "lack of definitions and standards," and "increase in mislabeling and fraud." While matcha is expanding beyond beverages and food into diverse industries like cafes, wellness, and hospitality, the market's transparency and reliability are not sufficiently ensured due to production limitations and knowledge asymmetry. The IMA will foster a global common understanding through research, education, international conferences, and awards, promoting the development of standards in the matcha industry. It will build a foundation for the international matcha industry that supports responsible growth and long-term value creation.
*The "World's First" in the title is based on the company's own research (as of April 22, 2026). Established as the world's first corporation aimed at "creating mechanisms for international discussion and consensus-building in the matcha industry."
Activities
To ensure the sustainable international development of the matcha industry, the IMA will create mechanisms for global discussion and consensus-building. We will promote the accumulation of knowledge through investigation and research, the formation of common understanding via international conferences, the evaluation, visualization, and sharing of excellent practices through awards, and the international spread of knowledge and practices alongside human resource development through education. Details of future activities will be released sequentially.
Board of Directors Introductions
Yannis Apostolopoulos, Board Member: Specialty Coffee Industry & Foodservice
Katharine P. Burnett, Board Member: Academic Research on Tea Culture
Sara Roversi, Director, Board Member: Food Sustainability
Toshimi Nishi, Board Member: Tea Industry & Matcha Production
Ryo Iwamoto, Representative Director: Chanoyu (Japanese Tea Ceremony) Culture
■ Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
Yannis Apostolopoulos is the CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the world's leading organization for specialty coffee.
With over 25 years of experience in the global beverage industry, he has played a central role in developing international standards, promoting professional education, and strengthening cross-sector collaboration. His deep insights will be a major driving force for the highly reliable global foundation the IMA aims to build.
〈Comment〉
In the world of specialty coffee, we have spent a long time constantly asking, "What makes something truly 'special'?"
It wasn't just about evaluating taste and quality; it was an inquiry into how to protect the authenticity of its value amidst knowledge, context, relationships, and an ever-expanding global market.
Through that journey, I have realized that sharing a common language, building reliable frameworks, and consistently providing professional education are what bring sustainable value to an industry.
Today, matcha is also at a major turning point. As it spreads globally, it is becoming clear that mere expansion is not enough.
The matcha industry moving forward requires a much firmer foundation. It is crucial to refine its definition, deepen learning, increase transparency in distribution, and foster more meaningful dialogue between producers, practitioners, and the market.
The establishment of the IMA represents exactly this opportunity. It is an institution designed not merely to treat matcha as a global product, but to understand it alongside its cultural depth, industry realities, and the authentic value cultivated over a long period, serving as a cornerstone to support all of these.
■ Katharine P. Burnett, Founding Director of the Global Tea Institute (GTI) at UC Davis
Katharine P. Burnett established a world-class research institution specializing in the "culture and science of tea" at the University of California, Davis. She also teaches at the university as a professor of Chinese art history.
She is a leading figure in unraveling tea culture beyond academic boundaries and has been instrumental in leading the world's premier tea research and education platform. At the IMA, she integrates academic intellect, broad historical perspectives, and cross-cultural understanding to offer a multifaceted view that expands the wisdom of tea globally and passes it down to the next generation.
〈Comment〉
Tea is not just a beverage.
It is an endeavor passed down as culture, an entity that reflects history, and a clue to examining the relationships between people, land, materials, and time.
Matcha, in particular, possesses rich traditions, knowledge, and multi-
*The "World's First" in the title is based on the company's own research (as of April 22, 2026). Established as the world's first corporation aimed at "creating mechanisms for international discussion and consensus-building in the matcha industry."
Activities
To ensure the sustainable international development of the matcha industry, the IMA will create mechanisms for global discussion and consensus-building. We will promote the accumulation of knowledge through investigation and research, the formation of common understanding via international conferences, the evaluation, visualization, and sharing of excellent practices through awards, and the international spread of knowledge and practices alongside human resource development through education. Details of future activities will be released sequentially.
Board of Directors Introductions
Yannis Apostolopoulos, Board Member: Specialty Coffee Industry & Foodservice
Katharine P. Burnett, Board Member: Academic Research on Tea Culture
Sara Roversi, Director, Board Member: Food Sustainability
Toshimi Nishi, Board Member: Tea Industry & Matcha Production
Ryo Iwamoto, Representative Director: Chanoyu (Japanese Tea Ceremony) Culture
■ Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
Yannis Apostolopoulos is the CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the world's leading organization for specialty coffee.
With over 25 years of experience in the global beverage industry, he has played a central role in developing international standards, promoting professional education, and strengthening cross-sector collaboration. His deep insights will be a major driving force for the highly reliable global foundation the IMA aims to build.
〈Comment〉
In the world of specialty coffee, we have spent a long time constantly asking, "What makes something truly 'special'?"
It wasn't just about evaluating taste and quality; it was an inquiry into how to protect the authenticity of its value amidst knowledge, context, relationships, and an ever-expanding global market.
Through that journey, I have realized that sharing a common language, building reliable frameworks, and consistently providing professional education are what bring sustainable value to an industry.
Today, matcha is also at a major turning point. As it spreads globally, it is becoming clear that mere expansion is not enough.
The matcha industry moving forward requires a much firmer foundation. It is crucial to refine its definition, deepen learning, increase transparency in distribution, and foster more meaningful dialogue between producers, practitioners, and the market.
The establishment of the IMA represents exactly this opportunity. It is an institution designed not merely to treat matcha as a global product, but to understand it alongside its cultural depth, industry realities, and the authentic value cultivated over a long period, serving as a cornerstone to support all of these.
■ Katharine P. Burnett, Founding Director of the Global Tea Institute (GTI) at UC Davis
Katharine P. Burnett established a world-class research institution specializing in the "culture and science of tea" at the University of California, Davis. She also teaches at the university as a professor of Chinese art history.
She is a leading figure in unraveling tea culture beyond academic boundaries and has been instrumental in leading the world's premier tea research and education platform. At the IMA, she integrates academic intellect, broad historical perspectives, and cross-cultural understanding to offer a multifaceted view that expands the wisdom of tea globally and passes it down to the next generation.
〈Comment〉
Tea is not just a beverage.
It is an endeavor passed down as culture, an entity that reflects history, and a clue to examining the relationships between people, land, materials, and time.
Matcha, in particular, possesses rich traditions, knowledge, and multi-