Tenzo Tea
Tenzo Tea presentation
Tenzo Tea was born from a simple problem: two UCLA volleyball players kept crashing from coffee. Steve O’Dell and Robbie Page discovered ceremonial-grade matcha during their athletic careers and recognized its potential to deliver sustained energy without the jitters. In 2016, they founded Tenzo Tea to bring authentic Japanese matcha to health-conscious consumers seeking a better caffeine alternative.
Direct from Kagoshima’s Organic Farms
What sets Tenzo apart is their direct partnership with organic tea farmers in Kagoshima, Japan. Each batch of ceremonial-grade matcha is hand-selected from shade-grown tea leaves, stone-ground to preserve maximum nutrients and flavor. This direct sourcing model ensures quality control from farm to cup while supporting sustainable agricultural practices.
The result? Matcha that delivers clean, focused energy for 4-6 hours without the crash that comes from coffee or energy drinks.
Built by Athletes, Trusted by Communities
Steve and Robbie’s background in professional volleyball shaped Tenzo’s approach to performance and wellness. They understand what it means to fuel your body properly for sustained mental clarity and physical endurance. This athlete-tested philosophy resonates with customers who demand more from their daily routine.
Today, Tenzo Tea is available in over 100 retail locations and has generated more than $1 million in revenue. The brand has been featured in Entrepreneur, CBS, and HuffPost for its commitment to quality and community impact.
More Than Just Matcha
Tenzo’s mission extends beyond selling tea. The company partners with organizations like The Boys and Girls Club and The Surfrider Foundation to give back to communities and protect the environment. Every purchase supports sustainable farming practices that keep harmful pesticides out of the ecosystem.
- 100% organic, ceremonial-grade matcha sourced directly from Japan
- Rich in antioxidants and L-theanine for calm, sustained energy
- No artificial ingredients, sweeteners, or fillers
- Supports mental clarity, focus, and overall wellness
Whether you’re looking to replace your morning coffee or fuel an active lifestyle, Tenzo Tea delivers the highest quality organic matcha with a commitment to your health and the planet.
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Matcha produced by Tenzo Tea
Premium Ceremonial-Grade Organic Matcha
Tenzo Tea specializes in ceremonial-grade organic matcha that delivers sustained energy without the jitters associated with coffee. Their flagship product showcases a vibrant verdant hue and silken texture, characterized by distinctive umami undertones and delicate sweetness that reflects the elevated chlorophyll concentration achieved through meticulous shading protocols.
Product Specifications and Certifications
The matcha exhibits sufficient versatility for integration into lattes, smoothies, and culinary applications, making it suitable for both traditional tea ceremonies and modern beverage creations. Each batch carries multiple prestigious certifications including USDA Organic, ensuring cultivation without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, plus Kosher, Paleo, and Vegan certifications for diverse dietary compatibility.
Quality Assurance and Testing
Production maintains FSSC 22000 certification standards through rigorous quality control measures. Every batch undergoes comprehensive testing including heavy metal screening for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury levels, pesticide analysis covering organophosphates, organochlorines, and pyrethroids, plus microbial contaminant and allergen control. Trained experts conduct sensory evaluation using standardized scoring systems to assess color, aroma, and flavor profiles.
Sustainable Packaging and Environmental Commitment
The company demonstrates environmental responsibility through recyclable packaging materials and active waste reduction initiatives. Their commitment extends to minimizing carbon footprint throughout the entire supply chain, supporting both product quality and environmental stewardship.
History of Tenzo Tea
Tenzo Tea emerged in 2016 from a simple yet profound realization by two UCLA volleyball teammates, Steve O’Dell and Robbie Page. Frustrated with the energy roller coaster induced by coffee – the jitters followed by inevitable crashes – they embarked on a quest for a more harmonious and enduring energy source.
Their discovery of matcha marked the beginning of a mission to democratize access to healthy energy, delivering sustained vitality without the drawbacks of traditional caffeine sources. The nascent company faced dual challenges: securing a consistent supply of premium matcha and dispelling consumer unfamiliarity with its benefits.
A watershed moment arrived with their strategic embrace of a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business model. This calculated maneuver afforded them meticulous oversight of product integrity, the forging of a distinctive brand identity, and the cultivation of enduring customer relationships. This intimate connection facilitated the gathering of invaluable real-time feedback, informing iterative refinements to both product development and marketing strategies.
Tenzo Tea forges alliances with small-scale, multigenerational family farms nestled within Kagoshima, a region celebrated for its microclimate and volcanic soil composition. These familial custodians of tea cultivation possess over 400 years of accumulated wisdom, ensuring the procurement of leaves of unparalleled quality.
The company maintains production standards through its FSSC 22000 certified facility in Uji, Kyoto, Japan. This certification reflects their commitment to rigorous testing and adherence to the highest standards for clean ingredient nutrition and complete traceability.
Progressively, their mission has expanded, encompassing a profound dedication to sustainability, ethical sourcing, and relentless self-improvement, all encapsulated within their guiding ethos: ‘Better Every Day.’
5 events from Tenzo Tea's history
January 2016
Company Founded by UCLA Volleyball Teammates
Steve O’Dell and Robbie Page, former UCLA volleyball teammates, founded Tenzo Tea after becoming disenchanted with coffee’s energy roller coaster of jitters and crashes. They embarked on a quest for a more harmonious energy source, ultimately discovering the virtues of matcha and launching their venture to democratize access to healthy energy.
June 2016
Strategic Direct-to-Consumer Model Adoption
Tenzo Tea embraced a direct-to-consumer business model as a watershed moment in their development. This strategic decision afforded them meticulous oversight of product integrity, enabled the forging of a distinctive brand identity, and facilitated the cultivation of enduring customer relationships while gathering invaluable real-time feedback.
January 2017
Partnership with Kagoshima Family Farms Established
The company forged alliances with small-scale, multigenerational family farms in Kagoshima, Japan, a region celebrated for its microclimate and volcanic soil composition. These partnerships connected Tenzo with familial custodians of tea cultivation possessing over 400 years of accumulated wisdom in producing premium matcha.
January 2018
FSSC 22000 Certified Production Facility
Tenzo Tea established production standards through an FSSC 22000 certified facility located in Uji, Kyoto, Japan. This certification underscored their unwavering dedication to strict testing and adherence to the highest standards in clean ingredient nutrition, providing complete traceability for each package.
January 2020
Mission Expansion to Sustainability Focus
The company’s mission progressively expanded beyond providing healthy energy alternatives to encompass a profound dedication to sustainability, ethical sourcing, and relentless self-improvement. This evolution was encapsulated within their guiding ethos of ‘Better Every Day,’ reflecting their commitment to continuous improvement and environmental responsibility.
Gallery and medias
Find below images and videos uploaded by Tenzo Tea as of November 2025.
Frequent questions
Find below some answers to the most common questions about Tenzo Tea.
Why did Tenzo Tea's founders choose Kagoshima over Kyoto for their matcha sourcing?
Tenzo Tea’s founders Steve O’Dell and Robbie Page specifically selected Kagoshima prefecture for its unique volcanic soil composition and ideal microclimate for matcha cultivation. Unlike the more commonly known Kyoto region, Kagoshima’s volcanic soil provides distinctive mineral content that contributes to their matcha’s vibrant green color and complex flavor profile.
The company partners with multigenerational family farms that have been cultivating tea in this volcanic soil for over 400 years, ensuring access to centuries of accumulated wisdom and traditional farming techniques that can’t be replicated elsewhere.
What does Tenzo Tea's 'Better Every Day' philosophy mean for their matcha quality?
Tenzo Tea’s ‘Better Every Day’ ethos drives their commitment to continuous improvement in every aspect of their matcha production. This philosophy manifests through their FSSC 22000 certified facility in Uji, Kyoto, where they maintain rigorous quality control standards including heavy metal testing, pesticide screening, and sensory evaluation by trained experts.
The philosophy also extends to their direct-to-consumer model, which allows them to gather real-time customer feedback and make iterative refinements to both product development and sourcing practices, ensuring each batch meets their evolving standards.
How does Tenzo Tea's volleyball team origin story influence their approach to energy?
As former UCLA volleyball teammates, founders Steve O’Dell and Robbie Page experienced firsthand the energy roller coaster from coffee during athletic training. This personal experience with needing sustained energy without crashes directly shaped Tenzo Tea’s mission to provide harmonious and enduring energy through matcha.
Their athletic background means they understand the importance of clean, sustained energy for performance, which is why they focus on matcha’s natural L-theanine content that provides alertness without jitters – a solution born from their own need as competitive athletes.
Can Tenzo Tea's ceremonial-grade matcha be used for cooking and lattes?
Yes, Tenzo Tea’s ceremonial-grade organic matcha is specifically designed for versatility. While they don’t market a separate culinary-grade variant, their ceremonial-grade matcha exhibits sufficient adaptability for integration into lattes, smoothies, and culinary applications.
- Lattes and beverages: The silken texture and delicate sweetness work perfectly in milk-based drinks
- Culinary applications: The vibrant verdant hue and umami undertones enhance baked goods and desserts
- Traditional preparation: High enough quality for traditional chanoyu (tea ceremony) when whisked with water
What makes Tenzo Tea's FSSC 22000 certification different from other matcha brands?
Tenzo Tea’s FSSC 22000 certification at their Uji, Kyoto facility represents one of the most rigorous food safety management systems available, going beyond basic organic certifications. This certification ensures complete traceability and adherence to the highest standards for clean ingredient nutrition.
Their comprehensive testing protocol includes monitoring for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury), screening for multiple pesticide categories (organophosphates, organochlorines, pyrethroids), and controlling microbial contaminants – a level of scrutiny that many matcha brands don’t maintain consistently.
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