Why did you create Seren Matcha rather than just stock other brands?

Working with some of the greatest matcha producers in the world gave us a deep understanding of what great matcha actually looks and tastes like. At some point the question became obvious. Why not create something of our own. Something we had full control over. The sourcing, the story, the cultivar, the shading period, the milling process. Every decision intentional from the ground up.

Seren Matcha is that answer. Our own brand built around the belief that Australians deserve to know what great matcha actually tastes like.

Tell me about going to Uji and meeting the producers you work with to create Seren Matcha.

This was one of the most surreal experiences of my life.When you have worked in corporate strategy and big tech, you expect the biggest suppliers in the world to be industrial. Huge facilities, heavy machinery, fully automated lines. That is what I was used to seeing.

Japan was completely different. I remember standing on a tea farm in Uji and asking one of the farmers what a normal day looked like. Eight hours, he said. Mostly pulling weeds. No machinery. You squat down, pull by hand, move to the next row, repeat. One person managing an entire tea farm. I was floored.

The facilities were the same. Stone milling is still done with actual stone mills. Certain parts of the process are entirely manual. There is a level of care in how things are done that you just do not see in commercial food production. It is handcrafted in the truest sense of the word. The same way you think about a handmade watch or a hand stitched leather bag. That is what these producers are doing with matcha, and almost nobody talks about it that way.

The hospitality was incredible. One of our farming families invited us into their home. We had tea with them, had dinner with their family, met their kids, their partners. They took us around Uji, introduced us to other farmers, showed us the local food. I still remember the smell of Uji. There is a yellow flower, Osmanthus I think, that blooms there. It smells brilliant. I still want to make a Seren blend that captures that smell one day.

One of our suppliers had left a career in banking in Japan to return home and carry on the family business when his parents were getting older. Him and his partner run it together now. Hearing that story, sitting in their home across the ocean, thinking about where my own life was supposed to go versus where it actually went, that hit me deeply. In Japan, tradition and heritage are honoured in a way that is just different. That is not something you can manufacture.

How did they respond to you wanting to create Seren Matcha with them?

These producers are incredibly discerning about who they work with. They have to be. Matcha is booming globally and they get approached constantly, including by a lot of influencers who fly to Uji, take the tour, shoot content at every angle, and leave without ever really understanding what they are looking at. The farmers told me stories about visitors who did not know the difference between first and second harvest, who could not explain what tencha was. Everything was a marketing question. Everything was transactional.

In Japan, everything is about relationships. They know within minutes whether someone is genuine. They can sense curiosity and they can sense performance. And they will flat out reject partners who do not honour their craft. We approached them with genuine curiosity and a real love for what they had built. We asked questions about their process, their families, their history. We wanted to understand, not just source. I think they felt that.

What I am most proud of is that one of our producers works with a level ten Chashi. A Chashi is a master tea blender and evaluator. Level ten is the highest possible ranking in all of Japan. There are only fourteen people in the entire country who hold that title. These are artisans who select and blend leaves from different sources to create the distinct flavours that the best matcha in the world is known for. They do not work with just anyone. They vet every brand they partner with.

We were vetted. And we passed. That means more to me than any sales number.

What do you want someone to feel the first time they try Seren Haru?

I want them to taste the work. The farmer squatting in the field for eight hours pulling weeds by hand. The stone mill turning slow to protect the aroma. The centuries of knowledge that went into deciding exactly how long to shade the leaves and exactly when to harvest them.

I also want them to feel something quieter. Making matcha is one of the few things that asks you to just be present. You sift the powder. You heat the water. You whisk. You watch the foam form. There is no multitasking. There is no scrolling. You are just there, doing one thing slowly and well. In a world that is constantly pulling your attention in every direction, that feeling is rare and genuinely valuable.

And then I want them to want to share it. To make it for someone else. To bring it to a gathering. To talk about it. That is how movements start.

 

What does success look like for Seren Matcha in five years?

Pioneering the third wave of matcha in Australia. Building a community of people who genuinely appreciate matcha for what it is, who care about the cultivar and the craft and the story behind what is in their cup.

I also want to help cafes. The hospitality industry in Australia is incredibly tough and matcha is a genuine opportunity for cafe owners to differentiate their menu and grow their revenue. I want Seren to be the small business that supports that, not just sells to it.

And honestly, I want to keep building real community. We have run events where people came alone and left having made new friends. That surprised me more than anything. There is something about a shared ritual, a reason to slow down together, that creates genuine connection. In a world getting more digital by the day, physical experiences and real relationships matter more than ever. Matcha has been able to create that space and I want to keep building it.

If Seren Matcha becomes the matcha brand in Australia, the one that people think of when they think about quality, community and craft, that is everything.

 

Finally, why Seren? Why that name?

Seren is short for serendipity, which is what we named the whole small business.

I called it that because serendipity is honestly the most accurate way to describe my life. The right teacher at the right moment gave me confidence I did not know I needed. The right friends in university showed me what building something could look like. The right roles led to the right experiences. One different decision at any point and none of this happens.

I was never supposed to be in Uji sitting in a tea farmer's home having dinner with their family. I was never supposed to be running a small matcha business. But here I am. And it feels more right than anything I planned.

That is serendipity. And that is what I want people to feel when they find Seren.

Read Part 1: How It Started