Chinese Tea & Matcha Sourcing | Terra Vista Co., Ltd.

Premium Agri-Resource Integration

The Art of Chinese Tea

Terra Vista orchestrates a farm-to-export sourcing network across four of China's most celebrated tea regions — Sichuan, Yunnan, Anhui and Henan. From high-altitude gardens above 1,500 metres to ancient tea forests with centuries-old trees, we source direct from partner growers, governing quality at every stage from cultivation through processing, packaging and export.

Every lot is screened to meet international agricultural chemical-residue standards, including Japan's Positive List — compliance we treat as the moat, not an afterthought. On-the-ground teams in each province sustain long-term relationships with growers and processing facilities, securing consistent quality, full traceability and the authentic character that defines each region's finest teas.

Explore our Agriculture & Food supply chain practice — View our compliance-assurance framework

Market Insight

The Japan Tea Market: Why Now

Japan's domestic tea plantations have contracted by roughly 29% over the past decade, as growers age and labor grows scarce (source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries). Even as the country's premium tea exports reach a 70-year high, demand for reliable mid-tier imports is rising — opening a widening opportunity for origin-direct supply.

The average import price for tea in Japan stands at approximately US$6,185 per metric ton (source: Tridge, 2026). Organic and specialty grades command a 30–50% premium over conventional tea — a segment where Terra Vista's origin-direct, compliance-ready sourcing delivers a meaningful cost advantage.

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Core Producing Regions Sichuan · Yunnan · Anhui · Henan — sourced direct from partner growers

100%

Compliance-First Standard Every batch tested against Japan's Positive List & international food-safety standards

1,500m

High-Mountain Gardens Gardens up to 1,500m — slower growth, concentrated flavour

Region 01 / Sichuan

Sichuan Province

Home to the sacred Emei Mountain tea gardens, Sichuan's teas grow at 800 to 1,500 metres, where cool mists and rich soil produce leaves of extraordinary depth and sweetness. The region also encompasses Mengding Mountain, among the earliest documented tea-producing areas in history, with cultivation traditions stretching back over two millennia. Our Sichuan sourcing focuses on premium green teas prized for their delicate needle-like form and lasting vegetal fragrance.

Zhuyeqing
Mengding Ganlu
Emei Mountain
800-1500m

Region 02 / Yunnan

Yunnan Province

In the highlands of Fengqing and Lincang, at elevations reaching 1,600 metres, ancient tea trees — some centuries old — yield leaves of unmatched complexity and natural sweetness. Yunnan is the birthplace of tea itself, and its unique terroir gives the celebrated Dianhong red tea, known for its golden tips, honey-like aroma and smooth, malty body. Our Yunnan portfolio also includes the ethereal Moonlight White — a rare tea dried under moonlight that develops a haunting floral bouquet unlike anything else in the tea world.

Dianhong Red Tea
Moonlight White
Fengqing
1600m Altitude

Region 03 / Anhui

Anhui Province

Anhui is a province of legendary teas. In Taiping County, skilled artisans hand-press individual leaves into the distinctive flat, elongated form of Taiping Houkui — one of China's most visually striking and labour-intensive teas, prized for its orchid fragrance and clean, lingering finish. From the misty peaks of Huangshan come the tightly-rolled buds of Huangshan Maofeng, a delicate green tea with a sweet, chestnut-like flavour. And from Qimen, the world-renowned Keemun black tea, with its wine-like complexity and natural cocoa notes, continues a tradition that has captivated European tea markets for over a century.

Taiping Houkui
Huangshan Maofeng
Keemun Black Tea

Region 04 / Henan

Henan Province

Henan's Xinyang region produces one of China's most cherished green teas: Xinyang Maojian, a tightly-rolled, silver-tipped tea celebrated for its chestnut aroma, brisk freshness and crystal-clear liquor. Beyond traditional teas, our Henan network extends into matcha — shade-grown tencha stone-ground into ultra-fine powder through partner facilities in Shihe District, serving Japan's fast-growing matcha demand. We also source from Luoshan County, where a unique microclimate yields teas with distinctive mineral notes and exceptional clarity.

Xinyang Maojian
Matcha Processing
Shihe District
Luoshan County

Quality Assurance

Our Commitment to Excellence

Compliance-First Assurance

We engineer each lot to meet international agricultural chemical-residue standards — screened and documented before export so the highest food-safety benchmarks are met without exception.

Full Traceability

Complete farm-to-cup documentation for every lot. From the specific garden plot and harvest date to processing records and shipping logs, our traceability system delivers total transparency.

Expert Curation

Master tea tasters ensure consistent quality and flavour profiles. Our team evaluates appearance, aroma, liquor colour, taste and leaf residue to guarantee every lot meets Terra Vista's exacting standards.

Explore our full market-entry and sourcing services

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of Chinese tea does Terra Vista supply to Japan?

We source premium Chinese teas from four key producing regions: Sichuan (Zhuyeqing, Mengding Ganlu), Yunnan (Dian Hong, Moonlight White), Anhui (Taiping Houkui, Huangshan Maofeng, Keemun), and Henan (matcha-grade powder processing). Our matcha-processing capability is tailored specifically to Japan's food and beverage sector.

Does Terra Vista's tea comply with Japan's import regulations?

Yes. All tea products are fully compliant with Japan's Positive List System for agricultural chemical residues — among the strictest food-import standards in the world. We maintain end-to-end traceability, from individual tea gardens and harvest batches through processing to export.

Can Terra Vista supply matcha powder for B2B food manufacturing?

Yes. Through our certified processing partner in Henan, we produce matcha-grade powder (末茶グレード) for B2B use across Japan's food, beverage, and confectionery industries. This is industrial-scale processing with consistent quality control — not retail-packaged tea.

How does Terra Vista ensure tea traceability?

Every shipment can be traced back to the specific tea garden, harvest season, and processing batch. This level of traceability is essential for Japanese buyers, who require documentation of origin, processing method, and compliance testing for each import lot.

Why is demand for Chinese tea imports growing in Japan?

Japan's domestic tea plantations have contracted by roughly 29% over the past decade, driven by an aging farming population and labor shortages (source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries). While the country's premium tea exports have reached a 70-year high, demand for mid-tier imports is rising — creating a growing opportunity for reliable, origin-direct supply.

What is the current market price for imported tea in Japan?

The average import price for tea in Japan is approximately US$6,185 per metric ton (source: Tridge). Pricing varies significantly by grade — organic and specialty teas command a 30–50% premium over conventional grades. Terra Vista provides transparent pricing, with compliance testing and full documentation included.

What import notification does a tea or matcha shipment need before it can clear a Japanese port?

Every commercial shipment needs an Import Notification filed with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare before it can be sold or used in business. Article 27 of the Food Sanitation Act makes the notification a condition of sale, not a formality.

The notification is filed at the quarantine station covering the port of entry, where food sanitation inspectors examine the accompanying documents and decide whether the consignment also needs an on-site or laboratory inspection before a Certificate of Notification is issued (accessed 2026-09-25, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). A shipment that reaches a Japanese port without this step cannot legally be sold, no matter how clean its residue-test paperwork looks.

What import duty applies to green tea and matcha shipped from China to Japan?

It depends on the tariff line, not just the product. Japan Customs lists green tea in immediate packings of 3kg or less at a 20% general duty, while the WTO rate recorded for the same tariff line is 17%.

Under heading 09.02 of Japan’s Tariff Schedule, effective April 1, 2026, matcha and green tea fall under subheadings 0902.10 and 0902.20 — both carrying the same 20% general duty and 17% WTO rate whether the tea is packed for retail or shipped in bulk (accessed 2026-09-25, Japan Customs Tariff Schedule). A buyer who assumes a bulk shipment automatically earns a lower duty than a retail-packed one is reading the wrong tea category.

Black tea on Japan’s Tariff Schedule shows the opposite pattern for bulk shipments: subheading 0902.30 (black tea in packings of 3kg or less) carries the same 20% general duty as green tea, with a 12% WTO rate for black tea specifically, while black tea presented outside that packing threshold under 0902.40 drops to a 5% general duty and a 3% WTO rate (accessed 2026-09-25, Japan Customs). The same schedule also carries a dedicated “China (RCEP)” rate column: it is blank for tea in retail packings, but shows a Free rate for black tea outside that packing threshold under 0902.40, so a bulk black-tea shipment with a valid RCEP certificate of origin can clear at 0% instead of the 3% WTO or 5% general rate.

What must a Chinese tea producer register before it can legally export to Japan?

A customs filing inside China, first. Export food producers have had to register with the customs office at their place of business since January 1, 2022, under GACC Order No. 249, before their first shipment can leave the country.

Article 42 of GACC Order No. 249, China’s Measures for the Administration of Import and Export Food Safety, requires export food producers to file with customs at their place of domicile, with the filing procedure itself set by China’s General Administration of Customs (accessed 2026-09-25, State Council Gazette). A producer who cannot state a filing reference has skipped a legal step, not an optional one.

Article 46 of the same order goes further: registered producers must mark their customs filing number, product name, production batch number and production date directly on the outer transport packaging of every export shipment (accessed 2026-09-25, GACC Order No. 249). That marking is a detail a buyer can check on the carton itself, before the goods ever reach a Japanese port.

How can a Japanese buyer verify a Chinese tea or matcha supplier before signing a contract?

Four separate checks, not one. A supplier who passes a factory tour can still fail on customs filing, import-notification readiness, tariff classification or label compliance — each is verified against a different authority, not against the supplier’s own claim.

Side-by-side: each checkpoint below traces back to the specific article or schedule that defines it, so a buyer can ask for the document by name rather than by description.

Checkpoint	What it confirms	How to verify it	Primary basis
Export filing	Producer is legally registered to export food from China	Ask for the customs filing number; cross-check it against the number printed on the shipment’s outer packaging	GACC Order No. 249, Art. 42 & 46
Import-notification readiness	Shipment can actually be declared on arrival in Japan	Ask whether residue-test data and manufacturing records are already assembled, not promised for later	Food Sanitation Act, Art. 27
Tariff classification	Landed cost is calculated on the correct schedule line	Confirm which HS 0902 subheading and which rate column the customs broker will declare	Japan Customs Tariff Schedule, Ch. 9
Label readiness	Packaging is ready for Japan’s shelf requirements	Confirm the origin-country name can be finalized before the product is packed for sale	Food Labeling Standards

Chinese Tea & Matcha