My journey towards creating "Matcha Tea Lovers" began very simply, as a frustrated consumer. 

Back then, I had just arrived in Switzerland, the pandemic was raging, I fell into a deep depression and went to receive therapy with a psychologist in our home city, Lausanne. As a very organized person myself,  I admired so much the way she kept her office, especially her desk. In every session we had, I saw a beautiful matcha kit. I never asked her about it, but it raised my curiosity, so I searched and read a little bit about it on the internet. 

A few months later, I was in a Christmas market and there was a tea provider selling matcha, I bought my first kit to “try it” and voilà; it was love at first... sip! 

It was delicious, but also, after drinking it for the first week, I noticed changes in my energy, better sleep, less stress, clearer mind… Then came the time that my Matcha powder came to an end. I inadvertently threw out the package, not realizing that all matchas were not “the same”. I went to the closest supermarket and bought a matcha bag, just to discover that it was almost impossible for me to drink, it tasted awful… 

I was very confused and started reading further about it to understand better. I kept buying other matcha bags from different brands, different grades, different presentations, just to discover they didn’t taste as good as the matcha that I had fallen in love with, which made me obsessed to learn and read more about this amazing drink. In my search, I found out that many other consumers encountered the same issue as me. This led me to identify a need and an opportunity to help those people to access a drink that would assure them that beautiful taste and quality that made us all fall in love with premium ceremonial matcha in the first place.

I spent almost 2 years researching providers in Japan, trying and trying to find a delicious matcha, without success… My house was like a lab with dozens of matcha powders exposed and tasted by me and other matcha lovers. All this, until one day, in one of my last attempts, I received the perfect quality, perfect taste and I was in matcha heaven! It was even smoother than the original one! I immediately started working with them, doing some more trials, making my professional barista friends taste it, and receiving feedback. I also offered samples to regular matcha consumers I had met on this journey and everyone gave me incredible feedback, so I realized, this was it! I had found it and could go ahead and create "Matcha Tea Lovers". These words actually became a vision in my head, more than a drink, more than a brand, a wish to create a community of people passionate about health and wellness. 

Together, I believe we can inspire and empower others to live their best lives, by offering a product that is not only delicious but also promotes wellness and vitality. 

Cheers! 

Willy Hobal