We at Shokakuen use only Japanese domestic tea leaves when producing matcha and green tea.
We use tea leaves cultivated in the following four famous Japanese matcha producing areas as raw materials, and when requested by our customers, we manufacture and sell matcha that displays the name of each matcha production area according to the customer’s request.
Unlike matcha and green tea for a tea ceremony, we make the assumption that our matcha will be used for processing of beverages and foods, and we select tea leaves to produce the matcha considering the balance of umami, sweetness, astringency, and bitterness, cost, and long-term stable supply of it.
(※) “Uji matcha” refers to matcha that has been finished using tea leaves coming from Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, and Mie prefectures, but we use only tea leaves coming from Kyoto prefecture.
We also manage tracing information of matcha coming from each production area.
We implement the method of hygiene control of food (HACCP) carrying out hazard analysis in the manufacturing process, setting control standards at key control points to prevent problems in the process from raw materials acceptance to manufacturing and shipping of our goods.
In addition, we are ensuring traceability by creating and saving records so that we can take prompt action in the unlikely event of a problem.
At Shokakuen, we regard matcha as a food product, and put the safety and security of all the matcha we manufacture first.
The quality control room of the head office factory is equipped with equipment and devices necessary for quality control, and specialized personnel perform multiple quality checks under a strict inspection system.
Below are examples of our quality inspections:
Unlike matcha, which is drunk at the tea ceremony, we create a well-balanced formulation of matcha assuming that the matcha is used in foods
In the sensory test, the flavor (sweetness / umami / bitterness / astringency) of matcha is confirmed assuming use in the processing of beverages and foods .
Shokakuen obtained FSSC 22000 in 2018 and continuing to manufacture safe and secure matcha products.
As our own food safety initiative, we have built and are operating a safe and reliable food safety management system.
