MATSUThe short answer: MATSU ships producer-direct Japanese matcha to cafés, roasteries, hotels and new retail brands in Saudi Arabia, from Japan, in 1 kg units.
- Eight grades, $390–$1,050 per kg — a kilogram lands in Saudi Arabia from $436 including tracked freight
- Minimum 1 kg per grade, in 100 g steps. No distributor account, no container quantities
- Typically 7–10 days from cleared payment, tracked door to door
- $99 Tasting Kit — three flagship grades, $121 delivered to Saudi Arabia, credited in full against a first order
- Private label into your own tins or pouches — run size agreed per project
What a kilogram actually costs, delivered to Saudi Arabia
Most matcha suppliers publish a per-kilo figure and leave freight to a quote round-trip. Below is the whole number for a single kilogram to Saudi Arabia, calculated by the same engine that charges the card — so the figure you read here is the figure you pay.
| Grade | Per kg | Freight | Landed, 1 kg | Per latte (3 g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kagoshima Standard | $390 | $46 | $436 | $1.17 |
| Uji Standard | $420 | $46 | $466 | $1.26 |
| Uji Classic | $450 | $46 | $496 | $1.35 |
| Kyoto–Kagoshima Premium | $530 | $46 | $576 | $1.59 |
| Uji Premium | $550 | $46 | $596 | $1.65 |
| Kagoshima Premium | $650 | $46 | $696 | $1.95 |
| Uji Signature | $810 | $46 | $856 | $2.43 |
| Izumo Reserve | $1,050 | $46 | $1,096 | $3.15 |
At 3 g a latte, one kilogram pours about 330 drinks; whisked straight as usucha at 2 g a bowl it is closer to 500. A café running 30 lattes a day moves through a kilogram in about eleven days.
Volume, and where the discounts start
Discounts begin at 5 kg (−10%), step to 10 kg (−15%) and 25 kg (−20%). Freight per kilogram falls as the box gets fuller, so the effective landed cost drops faster than the headline discount suggests.
| Kagoshima Standard | Discount | Goods | Freight | Landed total | Per kg landed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kg | — | $1,170 | $90 | $1,260 | $420 |
| 5 kg | −10% | $1,755 | $129 | $1,884 | $377 |
| 10 kg | −15% | $3,315 | $233 | $3,548 | $355 |
Above 10 kg we price individually rather than publish a number — tell us the grade, the volume and the destination city and you get a written quotation.
Duty and VAT — what you settle locally
The per-kg price is for the matcha itself; shipping is added on top and shown separately. Import duty and VAT are settled by you on arrival — they are not in our invoice and we do not collect them.
For green tea entering Saudi Arabia, budget roughly 5% customs duty plus 15% VAT on the customs value, so on the order of 21% in total. Treat that as a planning figure, not a ruling: your broker and the tariff line of the day decide the actual amount. Every shipment carries a commercial invoice, a packing list and the lot code, which is what your customs desk will ask for.
Shipping into Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province
Matcha leaves Japan by air, never by sea container, sealed in aluminium. Typical transit is 7–10 days from cleared payment, tracked the whole way, to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Al Khobar, Mecca and Medina alike.
Postal routes across the region have been uneven this year. Saudi-bound shipments have been running normally; where a route is disrupted, we quote a courier alternative rather than let a paid order sit in a warehouse. If your delivery date is fixed — a launch, an event, a Ramadan build-up — say so when you order and we will price the faster route alongside the standard one.
Private label — your brand, filled in Japan
More enquiries from Saudi Arabia are about launching a brand than about restocking one. That work is straightforward: we fill the grade you choose into retail tins or stand-up pouches, apply your label, and ship them ready to put on a shelf.
| Fill sizes | 30 g, 40 g, 50 g |
|---|---|
| Run size | agreed per project — tell us the quantity you need and we will confirm it |
| Unit price | grade price per kg × fill weight, plus a flat $3.00 per unit covering the container, filling and label application |
| Lead time | about two weeks from approved artwork; repeat runs are quicker |
| Freight | quoted per shipment — container weight changes the box |
Worked example: a run of 100 tins of 30 g Kagoshima Standard is 3 kg of matcha at $390/kg, so $1,170 of tea plus $300 of filling and packaging — $1,470, or $14.70 a tin, before freight. Send us your artwork and the fill size and we will confirm the run.
Halal, stated plainly
We do not hold halal certification. We would rather you read that here than discover it after a sample lands.
What we can state factually: matcha is a single ingredient — shaded green tea leaves, ground, with nothing added, no carrier, no sweetener, no anti-caking agent. Every lot traces to a named grower, region and harvest through its lot code. If certification is a hard requirement for your listing or your buyer, we cannot meet it today, and we will tell you that before you spend money rather than after.
Heat, Ramadan, and keeping stock in its window
Unopened and sealed, matcha holds for 12 months from production. Storage on arrival decides more than transit does: cool, dry, out of the light, and refrigerated once a pack is opened. In Gulf summers that is not a nicety — an open pack left at ambient loses colour and aroma within weeks.
Demand in Saudi Arabia is seasonal in a specific way: iced matcha carries the summer, and Ramadan concentrates evening service into a short, heavy window. Order the build-up four to six weeks ahead rather than in the week before, and keep to a quarterly rhythm the rest of the year so nothing sits past its window.
Frequently asked questions
What does a kilogram of matcha cost delivered to Saudi Arabia?
From $436 for Kagoshima Standard, including tracked freight from Japan — $390 for the tea and $46 for shipping. The ceremonial tier runs to $1,096 landed for Izumo Reserve. Import duty and VAT are settled locally and are not included.
What is the minimum order?
1 kg per grade, in 100 g steps, and you can mix grades. There is no distributor account and no annual commitment. A single kilogram is a normal way to start.
How long does delivery take to Riyadh or Jeddah?
Typically 7–10 days from cleared payment, tracked door to door. For a first stocking order, plan two to three weeks end to end.
Is MATSU matcha halal-certified?
No. We do not hold halal certification and will not claim it. Matcha is a single ingredient — ground shaded tea leaf, nothing added — and every lot traces to grower and harvest, but that is a statement of composition, not a certificate.
Do you do private label for Saudi brands?
Yes. The unit price is the grade price per kilogram times the fill weight, plus $3.00 per unit for the container, filling and label. Fill sizes are 30 g, 40 g and 50 g, and a run takes about two weeks from approved artwork.
Which grade should a café use for iced matcha lattes?
Kagoshima Premium at $650/kg holds its colour through milk and ice and is our best-selling grade for that job. Kagoshima Standard at $390/kg is the volume option and still pours green rather than grey. Test both in your own recipe before committing — that is what the $99 Tasting Kit is for.
Who pays the import duty and VAT?
You do, on arrival. Our invoice covers the matcha and the shipping; roughly 5% duty plus 15% VAT is settled locally by you or your broker. We do not collect or remit it.
Can you supply organic (JAS certified) matcha?
The eight catalogue grades are not certified organic. We can source JAS-certified organic matcha through our Kyoto partner as a separate line — tell us the grade and volume and we will quote it.