Vibeke and a friend traveled from Oslo, Norway, to see WTEA's tea fields in Wazuka, Kyoto, firsthand. Vibeke is with Havens Kafé, a specialty coffee shop in Oslo's Fagerborg neighborhood, alongside its sister grocery store, Havens Kolonial.
A Familiar Standard, Applied to Tea
Havens Kafé built its name on direct, traceable sourcing in coffee, serving beans from Fuglen and Tim Wendelboe, two of Norway's most respected roasters. Walking through the fields in Wazuka, the conversation found its footing quickly: tea, they agreed, deserves the same standard. Not selected by price or origin alone, but by the identity of the producer and the story behind what ends up in the cup.
What Norwegian Buyers Want to Know
For Havens, transparency isn't a marketing angle, it's becoming the baseline expectation among Norwegian consumers. Knowing where a matcha comes from, who grows it, and how it's processed is quickly becoming as important as knowing the same for a bag of coffee beans. Vibeke and her friend were candid about that shift, and about wanting a supplier who could speak to those questions directly.
More Than a Customer
What stayed with us most was their willingness to support WTEA beyond a simple order, offering to help tell this story to their own customers in Oslo. It's the kind of partnership that turns a single sample request into something that lasts.
Bringing traceable tea to your own shop?
Vibeke is one of a growing number of buyers building their business around traceable, small-producer Japanese tea. Tell us what you're sourcing, and we'll connect you with the right producer, so you can build a story of your own.
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