When Stockdale tried a matcha in London, she discovered a problem: high-priced, low-quality options dominating the market.
Unlike traditional green tea, matcha is shade-grown, carefully harvested, dried and then finely ground into a vibrant powder.
Matcha contains caffeine, making it a popular alternative to coffee.
Stockdale said she and Parsons fell in love with matcha five years ago.
“One morning, I ordered a decaf at 7am, and the barista was like, are you okay, ordering a decaf at 7am? And I explained why, and he asked if I had heard about matcha.
“I gave it a try, and I was like, wow, this is awesome, but I also loved the fact that it has great health benefits.”
Stockdale spent two years travelling before settling in London, where she observed a significant rise in matcha’s popularity across Western markets.
“Obviously, it’s been around in the Eastern world for hundreds if not thousands of years,” she said.
Nomu Matcha has rapidly expanded nationwide.
“It was really interesting to see the popularity, but we both struggled with the same thing. We were going out and spending $8 on essentially what was s*** matcha.”
Nomu Matcha started with a simple sketch of a spoon that could simplify matcha preparation, which typically involves precise serving sizes, sifting and whisking.
That sketch evolved into a multi-functional spoon designed to measure, level and sift matcha in one device.
“The spoon really comes back to being the catalyst for why we started Nomu,” Stockdale said.
“It’s in the tagline of the business, which is ‘never drink a s*** matcha again’.”
She said travelling to Japan and connecting with growers and producers was “fundamental” in building knowledge and respect for the craft of matcha.
“It’s so important to go to the heart of the place where the product comes from to truly understand it, not just for matcha but for any product.”
Stockdale said the business approach had been done in a “unique way” and put community at the heart of everything.
“Understanding where matcha comes from, meeting the farmers, understanding the process, and what really lies behind it has been a fundamental element of Nomu Matcha.”
Nomu Matcha co-founders Tessa Stockdale (centre) and Karen Parsons (right) visited Japan, where the product originated from.
Gaining recognition at the Tauranga Business Awards “validated” the business to keep doing what it was doing, Stockdale said.
“We definitely have a pretty bold and unique approach to marketing, I mean, we’ve got the word s*** in our tagline.”
When asked what the biggest factor was in Nomu Matcha’s growth, Stockdale said it was their “relentless pursuit” to drive accessibility to great matcha.
“It comes back to just being absolutely, positively in love with your brand and backing it.”
Looking ahead, Stockdale said the focus was on scaling and expanding distribution networks, with strong interest emerging from international markets.
“Everything we do, we do well, so we’re scoping out those markets at the moment and seeing what will work for us.
“But at the end of the day, it’s about continuing to drive accessibility to great matcha for our drinkers.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.