Seattle-based Vale Matcha is building Vale Farms, a tea plantation on a 365-acre property on Whidbey Island, Washington. The first 12,000 Camellia sinensis bushes went into the ground in September, and the long-term plan is to cultivate around 200 acres with roughly one million plants.
The plants come from Hawaii but trace their roots to Japan, with cultivars such as Yabukita and Yamatomidori — names long associated with fine green tea. Harvested leaf will be processed into tencha at a roughly 30,000-square-foot facility in Oak Harbor, then milled into matcha in Seattle. The project draws on growing partners from Hawaii and a Washington State University researcher who believes tea can thrive in the region.
Founder Luke Larson sees the Pacific Northwest as a potential new tea-growing region. The venture arrives as strong global demand for matcha continues to strain supply from Japan.
Source: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal