ABOUT Me
I have a good laugh on the beach on Okinawa in the South Seas of Japan.
My name is Sascha and I am the founder & CEO of SHO CHA. I have lived in Mecklenburg, Germany all my life. Born at the baltic coast, raised in the middle of Mecklenburg and now for over 10 years in Rostock, I enjoy life by the sea. Already at the age of 11 I started to get interested in Japan through my passion for martial arts. At 16 I discovered green tea for myself - 17 years later I decided to start my own business.
What do I do besides being an entrepreneur? I play guitar in a hardcore band. If you dare, feel free to check us out at https://www.instagram.com/fatnutsucks/. I do a lot of sports. No more martial arts, but fitness, jogging and sometimes yoga. I love healthy food, cooking and of course traveling. I have been to Japan three times and South Korea once so far.
Besides that, I was particularly impressed by countries like Laos, China and the USA. Since 2017, I have been studying Japanese by myself and also at the adult education center - one of the most exciting and at the same time most difficult things I have ever started, besides my startup job.
My passion? Discovering new tea fields and getting to know wonderful people in Japan.
What moved me to
the idea?
As a passionate tea drinker, I have repeatedly found that green teas from discount stores, drugstores, local tea stores or relevant online marketplaces are usually of a quality that is not comparable to that of commercially available teas in Japan. In addition, the origin of these teas is often not clearly identifiable and the composition is not clear. This is especially true for cheap matchas, which are often made from inexpensive green tea powder or, at best, are made from the tart tea leaves of the fall harvest. But senchas are also usually a mixture of different green teas - sometimes even from different countries. In addition, there is a particular risk here that the teas are heavily contaminated with pesticides.
In addition, the prices, especially in relation to taste and quality, are too high in my opinion. I can therefore well understand when someone says that one does not like green tea at all or the taste is not worth the price. In many cases, the person has only tried a "green tea commercially available in Germany".
Employees harvesting tea in Mr. Hasegawa's tea garden.
Where to get good green tea?
Years ago, I began importing tea directly from Japan for my own use as a private individual through one of Japan's largest online retailers. I was very surprised by the low prices, especially in relation to the excellent taste. Unfortunately, however, the dealer pages are often in Japanese or translated directly into English via Google Translate. In addition, there is a cumbersome ordering system with long email correspondence, where you can not always be sure that you get what you think you ordered.
Alternatively, you can go to the website of your trusted online retailer. Here, the teas are usually highly priced - the selection enormous. But which tea is the right one here? The Gyukoro Karigane for 21€/100g or the Kabusecha Shincha for 56€/100g? The selection is often times overwhelming & the prices are often not comprehensible. Most of these teas are blends from the harvests of different tea farmers. Traceability, safety and quality are difficult to judge for the customer.
This is exactly where the idea came: Why not import directly from Japan from individual tea farmers who grow pure and pesticide-free tea?
Because: importing a few varieties of tea in large quantities by cutting out the numerous middlemen results in high quality, direct traceability, great taste and a reasonable price. This is the principle of SHO.CHA
No blends, no pesticides,
one tea - one tea farmer.
What makes me a tea expert?
I have been drinking green tea from Japan for 17 years. In the process, I am always trying new teas (also from South Korea, China, Laos, etc.). I have a great passion for Japan, for its cuisine and culture, and of course for green tea itself. Nothing more. I am not a trained tea tester, food chemist or food expert.
I trust my taste, my eyes and my smell, my common sense as well as the tea farmers and my business partners in Japan to choose the right tea.
Do you want to know more about my beginnings as a founder, the tea farmers and their views about Japan and its culture? Then read on in my blog...
What's next?
We are constantly on the lookout for delicious green teas from Japanese tea farmers. In 2021 we were able to add the intensely aromatic Kabusecha green tea from Iwakura-San in Shizuoka & the roasted Genmaicha from Toshimi-San in Kagoshima to our assortment. In 2022, we added the sweet Amai Matcha from Nakai San in Kyoto and the flowery Hana Sencha from Ueda San in Kyoto.
We always stick to our principles: 100% pesticide-free cultivation, only one tea grower per tea (single origin) & import directly from Japan from the producer. Mixed teas from unknown origins do not enter our bag.
If you want to stay up to date with news about products, our tea farmers or Japan in general, follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Youtube.
