US instant matcha brand moves manufacturing to UK
Matcha Now, which launched in the UK in late 2017, is to be made at Bottling UK in Leicester to meet its founder’s desire for sourcing water from the country it’s being sold in.
Capabilities at the contract bottler include toxic mineral removal, sterile plate filtration, UV light treatment, and carbon block.
Bottles produced at the site will be without shrinkwrap labels, reducing energy usage and making them fully recyclable.
Company founder Janine Marshall said compostable bottle materials would be the next step for the ceremonial-grade matcha drink. A deposit return scheme for the innovative twist-cap part of the bottles was also a possibility.
More than 250 M&S stores
Earlier this month, it was announced that Matcha Now Ginger & Turmeric had won listings in more than 250 Marks & Spencer (M&S) stores. It followed the listing of the original Pure Matcha flavour in M&S in September.
Matcha Now also comes in two other variants – Peppermint, and Lightly Sweet.
Matcha is known to have 137 times the antioxidant power of regular green tea. Pre-mixed matcha, however, is believed to lose its potency dramatically through oxidisation during the production process, meaning the health benefits can be wasted.
The makers behind Matcha Now have looked to overcome this through the application of patented twist-cap technology.
Separate from the water
The innovation keeps the matcha in a compartment in the top of the bottle, separate from the water below. When the cap is twisted, the powder releases into the water.
Matcha Now founder Janine Marshall said she was “so proud” to be able to bottle the brand in the UK with UK-sourced water.
“Our next steps are to ensure we are looking after the environment as much as we can by looking at compostable bottle materials,” she added.
“Our current bottle has just recently undergone removal of the shrinkwrap label to ensure we are using less energy in the processes and ensuring the bottle is 100% recyclable.
“We will also be looking into reward schemes for customers to return the caps back to us to be re-manufactured into new materials for future bottling.”
