Gion Tsujiri Drops “Uji-cha” From Its Logo: What Japan’s Matcha Bubble Means for U.S. Cafés

Main points for U.S. buyers

• Kyoto's famous tea brand Gion Tsujiri removed the words "Uji-cha" from its main logo in 2025, after the share of non-Kyoto tea leaves in its products increased.
• The company judged that some products no longer strictly met its own definition of "Uji-cha," and chose to prioritize maintaining taste and quality rather than the geographic label.
• This reflects a broader shift in Japan: strong global demand for matcha is forcing even long‑established brands to adjust sourcing and blend composition.

What changed in the Gion Tsujiri logo?

Gion Tsujiri is one of Kyoto's best‑known tea shops, historically associated with Uji-cha, the traditional green tea grown in and around Uji City in Kyoto Prefecture. In 2025, the company updated its logo and removed the "Uji-cha" wording that had long appeared together with the Gion Tsujiri name.

According to an executive at Gion Tsujiri, the share of tea leaves sourced from outside Kyoto increased, and part of the product lineup no longer fully matched their internal definition of Uji-cha. Rather than keep the Uji-cha label while changing the leaf composition, they decided to be more transparent about origin and focus on preserving flavor and product quality at sustainable prices.

For overseas buyers, this means that a famous Kyoto brand may now use a wider range of Japanese tea origins in its blends, even when the flavor profile remains similar.

Why is this happening? The "matcha bubble" in Japan

The logo change is directly linked to what Japanese media describe as a "global matcha bubble," where demand for matcha has surged and put pressure on Japan's tea supply.

Key factors highlighted in the news report include:

• Rising demand for tencha (the leaf material used to produce matcha), which is pulling farmers and processors away from other types of tea such as hojicha or sencha.
• Local producers in tea‑growing areas like Minamiyamashiro Village in Kyoto struggling to secure enough raw material, even for popular local sweets like matcha pound cake and matcha pudding.
• A shift by some farmers toward tencha production because of higher returns, making it harder for buyers to maintain stable supplies of other teas.

A Japanese tea expert quoted in the article notes that once farmers invest in tencha‑processing equipment—often costing tens of millions of yen—they need to keep using it, and the matcha boom is expected to continue at least into the next year. This long‑term investment pressure is one reason why supply is being structurally redirected toward matcha.

Impact on "everyday tea" and pricing

The same dynamics are affecting "everyday" teas, including those used in bottled beverages and free tea served at restaurants.

• A Japanese beverage company reported that the price of autumn–winter bancha (a lower‑priced tea picked at the end of the season) has risen to around six times the previous year's level, reaching a similar price range to premium first‑flush tea.
• Major bottled tea brands such as Iemon, Oi Ocha, and Ayataka have already announced price increases in Japan.
• The cost of tea served for free at sushi restaurants has also risen, with some outlets seeing their tea cost jump by about 1.5 times.

These developments show that the matcha boom is no longer limited to high‑end ceremonial matcha; it is affecting the entire Japanese tea supply chain and pricing structure.

What U.S. cafés and buyers should watch

For U.S. cafés and foodservice buyers importing Japanese matcha and green tea, Gion Tsujiri's logo change is a useful case study in how branding, origin, and sourcing are evolving under supply pressure.

Points to monitor:

• Labeling of origin: Even prestigious Kyoto brands may reduce or remove explicit "Uji-cha" labeling when blends incorporate more non‑Kyoto leaves.
• Supply stability: Producers and local food businesses in Japan are already finding it harder to secure stable supplies of specific teas as farmers switch acreage and processing capacity to tencha.
• Price trends: Sharp price increases in lower‑grade bancha used for bottled tea suggest that cost pressure may continue across grades, from café‑use culinary matcha up to higher‑grade products.

For buyers, this reinforces the importance of:

• Asking suppliers detailed questions about origin (prefecture, region) and blend composition.
• Building relationships with partners who can navigate Japan's changing tea landscape and secure consistent quality despite shifting production patterns.
• Being prepared for ongoing price volatility while the current matcha boom continues.

Source (Japanese news report in Japanese):
京都の名店から「宇治茶」の文字が消え…寿司店の無料サービス"お茶"の価格が1.5倍に　世界的抹茶バブルが引き起こす日本の"お茶"が危機"（関西テレビ）- Yahoo!ニュース
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5e8b4ef11648b4613c54e1a36fd3a50deb0b993d?page=2