PRODUCER | Chato Co., Ltd.

Our vertically integrated management system reflects our aim to create new values from Japanese tea industry.

The demand for organic matcha is increasing in the world. On the other hand, tea consumption in Japan is decreasing. The farmers who make high quality tea, many times cannot make living out of tea farming.

Our company purpose is to connect the worldwide demand of Japanese tea to the passionate tea farmers, and solve the difficulties Japanese tea industry is facing. Our business model focuses to return the profit gained from tea to the tea farmers, creating a positive cycle to grow high quality tea.

Tea shows the way of life

Tea reflects the passion and philosophy of the tea makers.
Please listen to our partner farmer's voice, and enjoy seeing the beautiful environment tea is being grown.

Kentaro Morimoto

Morimoto san’s tea farm is full of nature. Various insects and birds are found in the farm, including glowing fireflies in early summer. His motto is to have “fun”, and his playful spirit is reflected in his product development such as Japanese sweets using organic green tea.

Masayoshi Houmotsu

Houmotsu san is producing organic Guri tea, which is very special and unique type of organic tea . His symbol icon is cabbage butterfly, which shows his family’s strong ties and passion to pursue their ambition to making safe and clean tea.

Takaya Onitsuka

Onitsuka san’s tea is grown in fertile soil in Kagoshima, where moderate wind from the Kuroshio current blows. His love for tea nurtures tea growth. He has won many awards for his high tea making skills.

Takayoshi Sugiyama

The special tea cultivar “Shizu 7132” has a natural sakura flavor, which is very unique and highly valued. Sugiyama san manages his own compost to make his orignal organic fertilizer, using natural products such as fish waste.

Takeshi Koura

Koura san is leading the Miyazaki organic tea production, organizing a farmer's group to enhance skills and production of organic tea, which is growing rapidly. He is open to sharing is vast knowledge to farmers throughout Japan. He is leading his team with a cheerful atmosphere and strictness.

Terumasa Kobayashi

Kobayashi san's farms are located in the mountains surrounded by trees, ahead of the steep and slopy road. His long experience of organic farming for more than half century and his pride for tea making is reflected in the high quality teas he produces, resembling the tea origin Okabe.

Wataru Nakamura

Founded in the Taisho era, Marumura Seicha has been practicing organic farming using absolutely no pesticides for more than 30 years. The farms located in the mountains each cultivateds different characters coming from the environment and soil. Nakamura san has invested in Tencha production line to start producing matcha for the world market.

Yusuke Kadota

Kamairicha is a unique and limited tea, which accounts for only 1% of tea produced in Japan. Kadota san has inherited the ancient style flat-type kama (pot) from the first generation of tea production. He carefully roasts his organic teas in small batches, bringing out the unique kama aroma and mild taste.

Katsumi Saito

18th generation Katsumi san is prioritizing the nutritional value of tea, dedicated to soil management. He has aquired organic certification at the time when Jas organic program has started in Japan. His daughter Yuko san, has learned black tea making from a leading black tea producer. She is prducing aromatic Japanese black tea.

Challengers for organic

For the tea plants and farmers, it is a big challenge to change from the standard "conventional" farming method to organic farming.
Organic farming requires a lot of attention and care of the environment, soil, and tea plant condition.
The so called "in conversion" from conventional to organic takes three years.

Honyama Organic Project

The conversion to organic farming started in 2022 in Honyama area.
Honyama area is known to have the oldest history among the Shizuoka tea origins.
The land located in the upstream of Abe and Warashina rivers are surrounded by nature, blessed with fertile soil and fog rising from the river which is an ideal environment for tea growing.

Rikio Makino

Makino san’s tea farms are located in the upstream of Warashina river, in the high mountains of Shizuoka. He has been managing his vast farmland by himself for over 30 years. His dedication to tea farming is reflected upon his delicate tea.

Fuji Organic Project

The conversion to organic farming started in 2023 in Fuji area.
The beautiful tea farm located at the base of Mt.Fuji is blessed with Mt.Fuji’s volcanic ash with abundant minerals.

Masahiro Sugiyama / Masashi Mochizuki

Sugiyama san and Mochizuki san has been friends since childhood. Together, they decided to convert the tea farm inherited from their parents to organic. Both respect each other's strength, and Mochizuki san is responsible for harvest, and Sugiyama san production. They treasure their relationship with people connected by tea. They have taken the first step as the pioneer of organic tea farming in Fuji area.