Top Restaurant Operators and Sober-Curious Millennial Celebrities in NY and LA Are Taking Notice: Japanese Green Tea as a Non-Alcoholic In-Meal Beverage

Chef Chikara Sono of BBF, a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York, and Chef Nan Yimcharoen of KinKan, a popular upscale Japanese restaurant and hot spot in LA, also praised the new potential of Japanese green tea.

TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO) has been conducting various promotional campaigns to popularize Japanese green tea as a mindfulness beverage internationally under the concept of “Find your TRUE with Japanese GREEN TEA”. This campaign is designed to promote the new value of Japanese green tea as a non-alcoholic in-meal beverage in response to the recent health trends of millennials in the U.S. and Europe.

Popular Japanese Fine Restaurant Operators in NY and LA Have High Expectations for the Potential of Japanese Green Tea as an In-Meal Beverage to Replace Alcohol

In January 2023, we held an event collaborating with KinKan, chef Nan Yimcharoen’s upscale Japanese restaurant, a popular hot spot in Los Angeles, and in February 2023 with BBF in New York, where Michelin one-star chef Chikara Sono showcases his skills. In order to create further excitement for putting Japanese green tea on restaurant menus, we invited popular restaurant operators in each city to present the added value in the dining experience and the benefits of putting Japanese green tea on restaurant menus, such as pairing Japanese green tea with dishes and introducing Japanese green tea as an in-meal beverage that can replace alcohol. Chef Nan Yimcharoen, Chef Chikara Sono, and other participants gave it high praise with comments such as, “I felt the strong potential of Japanese green tea as a food beverage to replace alcohol, including improvement of hospitality to customers.” The events increased expectations and interest in new ways to incorporate Japanese green tea, which goes well with a wide variety of dishes.

For more information about the events and the Japanese green tea recipes featured at the event, visit:

https://greentea-jfoodo.jetro.go.jp/program/index.html

Popular Millennial Celebrities Showcase New Ways to Enjoy Japanese Green Tea in Everyday Settings

The website, which offers a variety of content related to Japanese green tea, including basic knowledge about Japanese green tea and an introduction of its producers, is currently showing a Japanese green tea promotion video “Enjoy Japanese Green Tea and Be TRUE to Yourself” featuring popular celebrities; wine sommelier beloved by millennials Andre Mack, actress Clara McGregor, and Japanese green tea specialist Zach Mangan.

Japanese green tea promotion site: https://greentea-jfoodo.jetro.go.jp/
Official Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/justteayourself/

Promotion Through a Special Amazon Site and Collaboration with Popular Media Outlet Bon App�tit, and More

On the JFOODO’s special site on Amazon in the U.S., which was launched in 2017, a promotional video “Enjoy Japanese Green Tea and Be TRUE to Yourself” was launched to promote a new way of brewing Japanese green tea. The video increased willingness to purchase Japanese green tea, resulting in increased sales of Japanese green tea by a large number of people in a short period of time.

We also collaborated with the popular gourmet media outlet Bon Appétit and the French restaurant guide Michelin. As a new mindfulness beverage for millennial office workers, we promoted the unique benefits of “Calm & Focus” provided by Japanese green tea through the “TRUE” message, a communication concept.

JFOODO X Bon Appétit:

https://www.bonappetit.com/preview/nativearticle/639cb291eb46f350789df4e4?status=draft&cb=812904

JFOODO X MICHELIN Guide:

https://guide.michelin.com/gb/en/article/features/the-diversity-of-japanese-green-teas-explained-by-chef-sylvain-sendra
https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/features/japanese-green-tea-food-pairings-the-aromatic-orchestrations-of-boris-campanella-and-xavier-thuizat-at-l-ecrin-hotel-de-crillon-s-restaurant-paris
https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/features/alexandre-mazzia—exploring-the-vegetable-and-herbaceous-side-of-japanese-green-teas-am-marseille-france

JFOODO

The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO) is an organization established by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) on April 1, 2017 to promote Japanese agricultural, forestry, and fishery products as well as food products from all over Japan to consumers for branding purposes. In order to further expand exports of Japanese agricultural, forestry, and fishery products as well as food products, it is necessary to further create demand overseas.

JFOODO continues to make contributions to the expansion of Japanese agricultural, forestry, and fishery products as well as exports by stimulating demand through stronger promotions for overseas consumers. For more information on other detailed activities of JFOODO, please visit:

https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/jfoodo/

Contacts

Inquiries
JFB@jetro.go.jp
Masaru Mizoguchi, Akane Umemura and Kohei Hoshino

Overseas Promotion Division

The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO)