Matcha MOQ Explained: Why 1kg Is the Right Starting Point

Minimum order quantity is usually the first practical question a new buyer asks, and it's a fair one: committing to stock before knowing if a tea works for your business is a real risk. Here's what the 1kg minimum actually covers, why it's set where it is, and how to think about quantity once you're past the sampling stage.

The minimum, plainly stated

WTEA's minimum order for wholesale matcha is 1kg for most lots, and 3kg for certain single-cultivar or limited-harvest lots that are produced in smaller total volumes to begin with. There's no separate, higher minimum for smaller buyers and no volume discount tier that requires a larger first order. A single-location cafe placing a first order and a distributor placing a recurring order both work under the same floor; the difference is purely in how much they order above it.

Why 1kg, specifically

1kg sits at a point that's large enough to be worth a producer's time to process, package, and export as a distinct order, but small enough that a business testing a new tea isn't forced into a large financial or storage commitment before knowing whether it works for them. Producers working in small batches, particularly for single-cultivar or early-harvest lots, are also working with genuinely limited total volume; setting the minimum too low would mean splitting an already-small harvest across too many buyers to service any of them well.

Sampling comes before the minimum, not instead of it

A 15g sample, or a custom size on request, exists specifically so a buyer isn't making a 1kg decision blind. Samples are priced to cover tea and shipping rather than to generate margin, and they ship by the same carriers, EMS, DHL, or FedEx, that a full order would use, so you can also use one to check real transit time to your country before committing. Most buyers request two or three samples at once from different lots, compare them side by side under real use conditions, and only then place the first minimum order against whichever performed best.

Planning quantity around freshness

1kg is a helpful reference point for planning consumption, not just cost. Matcha loses freshness noticeably faster once a package is opened than most other tea categories, so the more useful question isn't "can I afford 1kg" but "will I use 1kg before quality starts to drop." A cafe running a moderate matcha-drink program typically works through that volume within a few months; a business ordering matcha as one small part of a broader offering may want to plan smaller, more frequent orders instead of one large one, even though the per-order minimum stays the same either way.

What changes above the minimum

Larger orders don't unlock a different tier of tea, but they can improve per-kilogram pricing and give more room to negotiate on packaging or private labeling for businesses building a retail line. If you expect to place recurring orders, it's worth saying so upfront. A supplier that knows you're a repeat buyer, not a one-time tester, can plan lot allocation and communicate more usefully about upcoming harvests that might suit your needs.

For the full picture on how MOQ fits alongside grade, cultivar, and pricing decisions, see the complete wholesale sourcing guide.

How MOQ compares across tea categories

Matcha's 1kg minimum is broadly in line with what's typical for specialty loose-leaf tea more generally, though matcha's freshness sensitivity makes the practical planning question more pressing than it is for, say, a well-sealed bancha or hojicha that holds its quality for longer after opening. Buyers coming from other tea categories sometimes assume matcha follows the same lower-commitment sampling norms as coffee, where single-origin lots can sometimes be tested in smaller increments; matcha's small-batch, often single-harvest production makes that harder to offer at true micro-scale while still keeping the economics workable for the producer.

Common questions about the minimum

Can the 1kg minimum be split across two different cultivars in one order? Generally no. Each cultivar or lot is processed and packaged as its own unit, so mixing two half-kilogram lots into a single 1kg order isn't standard, though it's worth asking directly if you have a specific use case in mind, since some flexibility may exist for repeat buyers. Does the minimum apply per order or per year? Per order. There's no annual minimum spend or volume commitment required to keep buying from WTEA; each order simply needs to individually clear the 1kg (or 3kg) floor. What happens if a sample doesn't work out? Nothing further is owed. Samples are a standalone purchase with no obligation to place a full order afterward, which is precisely why they exist as a lower-risk first step.