Matcha is having a moment. With YOSHI, two entrepreneurs are adding alcohol to the mix.
YOSHI founders Brett Jacobs and Alex Ostroff. Photo: Yoshi
You’ve probably heard about the matcha shortages caused by an insatiable global demand–largely driven by social media–for the vivid green powder. Now a pair of entrepreneurs are taking that interest in matcha one step further by adding alcohol to the mix.
YOSHI, launched in 2025, bills itself as the first premium matcha liqueur in the market with an ABV clocking in at 17 percent.
YOSHI was born out of what I thought
“YOSHI was born out of what I thought was a really needed brand in a category that was starving for something new,” YOSHI CEO and founder Brett Jacobs says. “The world has seen a million different espresso martinis and a million different coffee liqueurs, but for some reason, there was no matcha liqueur or matcha martini being commercialized.”
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Matcha is by no means a newcomer to the food and beverage industry. It’s held its own in the category for decades: Häagen-Dazs rolled out its matcha green tea ice cream to the Japanese market in the late 90s. But a surge in global interest helps explain why matcha is found in more corners of the consumer packaged goods space today including protein powders, tiramisu, and even your favorite body wash.
“It’s taken over everywhere, but it’s been absent from the bar shelf,” Jacobs says, explaining why he sees YOSHI as a category creator.
Matcha has gotten so popular globally that Japanese farmers are switching from growing regular loose-leaf tea (sencha) to growing the special shade-grown tea (tencha) that gets turned into matcha powder, just to keep up with demand.
Source: www.inc.com
