Our Story

Ryoko Benoist was born in Tokyo, raised between Tokyo and Kyoto — in a family who ran a wagashi shop, a restaurant, and a workshop, where Japanese craftsmanship was simply how things were done.

She spent years in the luxury and fashion industry, moving between Tokyo, London, and Paris. A world that moved fast and never stopped consuming. She was good at it. But something was always just out of reach.

Then Covid arrived. Nearly 80% of her work disappeared overnight. In the silence that followed, she started hearing something she had buried for years: a deep desire to share the beauty and traditions of Japan with the country she now called home.

Matcha found her at exactly the right moment. She ordered some to try — and what arrived was an organic matcha from the Nakai family in Wazuka, Kyoto. She didn’t know it yet, but that bowl would change everything.

In October 2024, she travelled to Wazuka to meet the people behind that matcha. She walked their fields, spoke with the farmers, and fell in love with the beauty of Wazuka — its hills, its light, its quiet. And then one of the farmers prepared a bowl for her.

That was the moment. In April 2025, she launched MUSUBI MATCHA.

Musubi (結び) means connection. A knot. The place where two things meet and hold.

MUSUBI MATCHA exists to bring the finest organic matcha — pure, traceable, grown with integrity — directly from Kyoto to Europe. No blending. No middlemen. No compromises.

But beyond the matcha itself, the mission is to offer something increasingly rare: a moment to step away from the pace of modern life. Through the simple gesture of preparing a bowl of matcha — rooted in centuries of Japanese tradition — to find a quiet space that belongs entirely to you.

Through the matcha ritual, events, and a direct connection to the people who grow it, MUSUBI MATCHA brings Japanese tradition to Europe — and connects people to each other, and to themselves.

From 2026, MUSUBI MATCHA holds an exclusive distribution partnership with Nakai Organic Tea Garden in Wazuka, Kyoto — ensuring every tin is fully traceable to the field, the harvest, and the hands that grew it.

Ryoko holds a certification as a Japanese Tea Advisor and is the founder of @matchalove_ryoko, dedicated to sharing the depth and culture of authentic Japanese matcha in Europe.

Matcha is not only for lattes or trends. What we bring is something quieter. One bowl at a time.

“My mission is to share the true beauty of Japanese matcha — its tradition, its craftsmanship, and the quiet it brings.”

Ryoko Benoist

Founder of MUSUBI MATCHA