Located at the southernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago, Kagoshima is Japan’s second-largest tea-producing region. The subtropical climate gives a warmer temperature and longer daylight, which creates the rich characteristics of Kagoshima tea and enables the earlier harvest than in other tea-growing regions in Japan each year. The vast tea plantations allow the local tea farmers to deliver an abundant tea harvest every year and consumers all over Japan rush to buy this distinctively southern flavored tea, a favorite among tea drinkers young and old.

When our corporate founder Minoru Shimodozono started the company with his private tea shop in Kagoshima City in 1954, Kagoshima tea was not reputable as teas from Shizuoka or Kyoto. From the very beginning, Minoru put all his efforts into making ever more delicious tea, serving tastes to tea peddlers, listening to their feedback, and making further improvements. He was fueled by the determination to make Kagoshima tea the most delicious in all of Japan, and this ideal was succeeded for generations. Shimodozono is constantly taking on new challenges and has grown into the well-known, leading Japanese tea wholesaler that it is today.

Starting with teas from our very own organic farm “Bio Farm”, we currently export Kagoshima’s premium teas to more than 15 countries. Our signature is Fukamushi Sencha (deep steamed green tea), for which Kagoshima is well-known, and Matcha (powdered green tea) which Kagoshima produces the largest amount in Japan today. We produce a great number of other teas in several grades, including regular Sencha (green tea), Bancha (coarse tea), Akibancha (autumn coarse tea), Houjicha (roasted green tea), Kukicha (stem tea), Genmaicha (green tea with roasted rice), and Black Tea.