World’s First “International Matcha Association” Launches, to Build Shared Foundations.
The International Matcha Association (IMA), headquartered in Tokyo, has been established to address structural challenges in the global matcha market, such as the lack of international definitions and widening supply-demand gaps.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 00:02 (5h 2m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 06:26 (6h 24m after Collected)
Tokyo, Japan — April 22nd, 2026 — International Matcha Association (IMA), an international organization (non-profit) headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo and led by Founding Chair Ryo Iwamoto, has been established to address structural challenges facing the rapidly expanding global matcha market, including widening supply-demand gaps, the absence of internationally shared definitions and standards, and the rise of mislabeling and misleading claims.
As matcha continues to expand beyond the categories of beverages and food into a wide range of industries including cafés, wellness, and hospitality, the market still faces critical constraints in production capacity and asymmetries in knowledge across regions and stakeholders. As a result, transparency and trust within the global matcha market have not yet been sufficiently established. Through work in definition-setting, research, education, international conferences, and awards, IMA aims to foster shared understanding and build a foundation for the responsible growth and long-term value creation of the global matcha industry.
### Key Areas of Activity
To support a sustainable international development of the matcha industry, IMA will create frameworks for global dialogue and consensus-building. Its activities will include research and study, formation of shared understanding through international conferences, recognition and dissemination of outstanding initiatives through awards, and global advancement of knowledge, practice, talent development through education. Further details on upcoming initiatives will be announced in phases.
### Board of Directors
- Yannis Apostolopoulos, Director, Adjacent Industries
- Katharine P. Burnett, Director, Academic Relations
- Sara Roversi, Director, Sustainability & International Organizations
- Toshimi Nishi, Director, Producers
- Ryo Iwamoto, Representative Director, Cultural Relations / Founding Chair
#### ■Yannis Apostolopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, Specialty Coffee Association
Yannis Apostolopoulos brings extensive experience from the specialty coffee sector to help shape the organizational and industrial standards of the IMA.
As matcha continues to expand beyond the categories of beverages and food into a wide range of industries including cafés, wellness, and hospitality, the market still faces critical constraints in production capacity and asymmetries in knowledge across regions and stakeholders. As a result, transparency and trust within the global matcha market have not yet been sufficiently established. Through work in definition-setting, research, education, international conferences, and awards, IMA aims to foster shared understanding and build a foundation for the responsible growth and long-term value creation of the global matcha industry.
### Key Areas of Activity
To support a sustainable international development of the matcha industry, IMA will create frameworks for global dialogue and consensus-building. Its activities will include research and study, formation of shared understanding through international conferences, recognition and dissemination of outstanding initiatives through awards, and global advancement of knowledge, practice, talent development through education. Further details on upcoming initiatives will be announced in phases.
### Board of Directors
- Yannis Apostolopoulos, Director, Adjacent Industries
- Katharine P. Burnett, Director, Academic Relations
- Sara Roversi, Director, Sustainability & International Organizations
- Toshimi Nishi, Director, Producers
- Ryo Iwamoto, Representative Director, Cultural Relations / Founding Chair
#### ■Yannis Apostolopoulos, Chief Executive Officer, Specialty Coffee Association
Yannis Apostolopoulos brings extensive experience from the specialty coffee sector to help shape the organizational and industrial standards of the IMA.