Ayataka
Product brand
UnclaimedA Japanese green tea beverage brand produced by The Coca-Cola Company.
Last updated August 21, 2026
Overview
Ayataka is a Japanese ready-to-drink tea brand produced by The Coca-Cola Company and sold primarily in Japan. Its product identity is based on cloudy, traditionally brewed green tea rather than the clear appearance associated with many mass-market bottled teas. The brand's tea is derived from gyokuro-style green tea and is associated with Kamibayashi Harumatsu, a Kyoto tea merchant. The name Ayataka combines the ideas of refinement and premium tea. The brand was introduced in 2007, initially through convenience stores and vending machines in relatively small bottle sizes. In 2008, Coca-Cola revised the recipe and visual identity, increasing the quantity of tea leaves used in brewing and adopting gyokuro leaves. The range subsequently broadened from convenience-oriented packages into larger bottles sold through supermarkets and other mass retailers. Product development included sencha, cold-brewed gyokuro, hojicha, genmaicha, matcha beverages, hot tea and limited seasonal releases. During the 2010s, Ayataka expanded both its formats and its manufacturing approach. Lower extraction temperatures and sweeter matcha were used in a revised recipe, while 500-millilitre, one-litre and two-litre bottles helped the brand reach household and meal-occasion consumption. The brand also experimented with regional packaging, limited editions and more easily disposable bottle formats. In 2011 it used the name Ayataka Kamisencha for part of its range and introduced a canned Uji matcha latte. Later launches included lighter-brewed green tea, hot bottled tea and a product marketed as a health food. In the 2020s, Ayataka continued to combine conventional unsweetened green tea with café-style and flavored products. The Ayataka Cafe line added matcha latte, hojicha latte, matcha chocolate and a green-tea-infused coffee drink. Seasonal packaging, including cherry-blossom and traditional-pattern designs, has supported the brand's retail visibility. A 2021 traditional-crafts bottle initiative linked packaging sales with support for Japanese craftsmen and reportedly generated more than 12 million yen in donations. Ayataka is primarily a Japanese brand, while related products are sold in Malaysia and Singapore under the Authentic Tea House name. The brand's reported annual volume reached 6.5 million cases in 2019 after continuous growth from 2007 through that year. In 2024, Coca-Cola used a commercial featuring Hikaru Utada to reach younger consumers during a period of weaker purchasing; the campaign was reported to precede year-on-year growth of more than 20 percent in the following quarter.
History
Ayataka was launched in Japan in 2007 by The Coca-Cola Company as a ready-to-drink green tea brand. Its initial distribution focused on convenience stores and vending machines, with 280-, 350- and 425-millilitre formats. The brand was developed around a more traditional tea profile associated with gyokuro and the Kyoto tea trade, rather than a highly filtered or strongly sweetened beverage. In 2008, Coca-Cola changed both the recipe and the packaging. The revised process used more tea leaves and gyokuro leaves, helping establish the cloudy appearance and fuller flavor that became central to Ayataka's identity. The range also expanded with a sencha product. In 2010, lower-temperature extraction and sweeter matcha were incorporated into the brewing approach, while one-litre and two-litre bottles allowed Ayataka to move into supermarkets and household consumption. New products included cold-steeped gyokuro and seasonal autumn tea. The 2010s brought repeated experimentation with names, formats and tea styles. The brand was temporarily presented as Ayataka Kamisencha in 2011 and introduced a canned Uji matcha latte. Packaging was redesigned in 2012, and regional and limited-edition products followed, including genmaicha and renewed gyokuro offerings. From 2014, some products used peko-raku bottles, promoted as easier to dispose of. The line later added a lighter green tea, more bottle sizes and hot tea, ending the brand's earlier concentration on iced products. Ayataka Special Tea, launched in 2018, was positioned as a health-food product. In 2020, the hot range was renewed and the brand adopted packaging influenced by traditional Japanese patterns. In 2021, Ayataka Cafe extended the brand into café-style beverages, beginning with matcha latte. The same year, a Traditional Crafts Supported Bottle campaign connected a limited packaging design with donations to support Japanese traditional industries. The initiative reportedly raised over 12 million yen. In 2022, Ayataka added hojicha latte, matcha chocolate, canned matcha tea and seasonal packaging, including a cherry-blossom design. The 2023 Ayataka Cafe Teapot Coffee release combined tea and coffee. Ayataka remains primarily sold in Japan. Related products are marketed in Malaysia and Singapore under the Authentic Tea House name. Reported sales volume grew continuously from 2007 to 2019 and reached 6.5 million cases in 2019. In 2024, a commercial featuring Hikaru Utada was used to address declining purchases and attract younger consumers; available reference material reports more than 20 percent year-on-year growth in the subsequent quarter.
- 2023
Teapot Coffee expands Ayataka Cafe
[1]Ayataka Cafe adds a tea-infused coffee beverage.
- 2021
Ayataka Cafe and crafts-support campaign
[1]The café-style line launches, while a limited bottle supports traditional Japanese crafts.
- 2018
Ayataka Special Tea launches
[1]The brand introduces a product deliberately marketed as a health food.
- 2017
Hot tea joins the core range
[1]Ayataka adds hot bottled tea and additional package sizes.
- 2014
New bottle formats introduced
[1]The range adds 525-millilitre bottles and begins using peko-raku packaging for selected products.
- 2011
Ayataka Kamisencha and canned Uji matcha latte
[1]The range uses the Ayataka Kamisencha name and adds a canned matcha-latte product.
- 2010
Expansion into mass retail and larger bottles
[1]Ayataka introduces a revised extraction method, larger formats and several new tea products.
- 2008
Recipe and brand identity revised
[1]The brand increases tea-leaf content, adopts gyokuro leaves and updates its label and product range.
- 2007
Ayataka launches in Japan
[1]The first products are introduced through convenience stores and vending machines in small bottle sizes.
Products and positioning
A premium, traditionally brewed Japanese tea brand emphasizing authentic tea-leaf flavor, visible tea sediment or cloudiness, Japanese craftsmanship and a broad range of cold, hot and café-style formats.
Unsweetened green tea · 2007
Ayataka Green Tea
The core ready-to-drink green tea line, developed around a gyokuro-influenced recipe and a fuller, traditionally brewed profile. It is sold in multiple bottle sizes and is the main expression of Ayataka's premium Japanese-tea positioning.
Sencha · 2008
Ayataka Sencha
A sencha-oriented product introduced as the brand broadened its range after the 2008 recipe and packaging revision. It represents a more specific tea-style expression within the wider Ayataka portfolio.
Cold-brewed green tea · 2010
Ayataka Ryodama
A cold-steeped mizudashi gyokuro tea product first released in 2010 and later reissued as a limited product. Its production concept emphasizes a slower cold extraction style.
Roasted green tea
Ayataka Hojicha
A roasted-green-tea expression within the Ayataka family, complemented in later years by hot hojicha and hojicha latte products.
Hot bottled tea · 2017
Ayataka Hot and Ayataka Hot Hojicha
Hot versions of Ayataka's green-tea and hojicha offerings, renewed in 2020 and sold in packaging designed for hot-drink merchandising and convenience-oriented consumption.
Health-positioned tea · 2018
Ayataka Special Tea
A product introduced in 2018 as Ayataka's first tea intentionally marketed as a health food, extending the brand beyond conventional unsweetened tea communication.
Tea latte and café-style beverages · 2021
Ayataka Cafe
A café-style sub-line launched in 2021. It includes matcha latte and later additions such as hojicha latte, matcha chocolate and Teapot Coffee, bringing sweetened and mixed-beverage formats into the Ayataka portfolio.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Hikaru Utada Ayataka commercial
Japan
A commercial starring Hikaru Utada was created to renew Ayataka's appeal among younger consumers during a period of declining purchases.
Outcome. Reference material reports more than 20 percent year-on-year sales growth in the following quarter.
- 2021Traditional Crafts Supported Bottle
Japan
A limited-edition bottle design linked product purchases with financial support for local traditional craftsmen through the Traditional Crafts Industry Promotion Association of Japan. Reported donations exceeded 12 million yen.
Outcome. More than 12 million yen was reportedly raised and donated.
- 2008Early anniversary web and advertising promotion
Japan
Following the brand's first year, Ayataka used advertising focused on the appearance and presentation of sencha tea leaves to communicate its tea credentials.
- Anime character bottle collaboration
Japan
Ayataka collaborated with the anime series identified in the reference material as Blade of Extinction, issuing six character-themed bottles and running a prize drawing through X.
Brand decisions
2021
Launch Ayataka CafeProduct launchBackground
The brand sought growth beyond traditional unsweetened bottled tea.
Action taken
Coca-Cola introduced a matcha-latte-led café-style series and later added other latte and mixed beverages.
Aftermath
Ayataka entered a more indulgent segment where it competed with tea- and coffee-based café products.
- Ito En — Ito En offered a competing TULLY'S COFFEE Matcha Latte product.
- Rinko — Rinko offered a competing tea-leaf matcha latte product.
2017
Introduce hot bottled teaProduct launchBackground
The portfolio had previously emphasized iced tea.
Action taken
Ayataka added hot green tea products and new sizes, including 185-, 290- and 525-millilitre formats.
Aftermath
The brand broadened its seasonal and convenience-store use cases.
2010
Move from convenience-only distribution into mass retailStrategyBackground
Ayataka's initial distribution was concentrated in convenience stores and vending machines.
Action taken
The brand introduced larger one-litre and two-litre bottles and expanded sales through supermarkets and mass retailers.
Aftermath
Ayataka became more suitable for household purchase and broader meal occasions.
2008
Increase tea-leaf content and adopt gyokuro leavesGeneration changeBackground
The brand sought a more premium and traditionally brewed taste after its initial launch.
Action taken
Coca-Cola revised the brewing recipe, increased tea-leaf usage, adopted gyokuro leaves and changed the label.
Aftermath
The revised profile became central to Ayataka's identity and supported subsequent range expansion.
Recent events
- 2024
Ayataka uses Hikaru Utada in a youth-focused campaign[1]
Campaign · Other
Coca-Cola selected Hikaru Utada for a commercial intended to broaden Ayataka's appeal among younger consumers. Reported sales in the following quarter increased by more than 20 percent year on year.
- 2023
Ayataka Cafe introduces Teapot Coffee[1]
Product launch
The fourth Ayataka Cafe release combined green tea with coffee.
- 2022
Ayataka adds latte, chocolate and canned matcha products[1]
Product launch · Product generation
The product range expanded with Hojicha Latte, Matcha Chocolate, canned matcha green tea and seasonal packaging.
- 2021
Ayataka launches the Ayataka Cafe series[1]
Product launch · Product generation
The brand introduced café-style drinks including matcha latte, entering a segment also pursued by other tea and coffee brands.
- 2021
Traditional Crafts Supported Bottle initiative raises funds[1]
Campaign
A limited-edition bottle design supported Japanese traditional craftsmen, with reported donations exceeding 12 million yen.
- 2020
Ayataka renews hot tea products and packaging[1]
Product generation · Product launch
Ayataka Hot and Ayataka Hot Hojicha were renewed alongside new dark green and special-selection teas, with packaging inspired by Japanese patterns.
- 2018
Ayataka launches its first health-food-positioned product[1]
Product launch
Ayataka Special Tea became the first product in the range intentionally marketed as a health food.
- 2017
Ayataka introduces hot tea and broader packaging formats[1]
Product generation · Product launch
The range added new bottle sizes and hot tea products, moving beyond the brand's earlier emphasis on iced tea.
- 2010
Ayataka expands into larger formats and supermarkets[1]
Product generation · Product launch
A revised brewing method, larger bottles and new products such as Ayataka Ryodama and Ayataka Teruha broadened the brand's retail and consumption occasions.
- 2008
Ayataka revises its recipe and packaging[1]
Product generation · Product launch
The brand increased the amount of tea leaves used in brewing, adopted gyokuro tea leaves and introduced a revised label and additional sencha product.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/ayataka · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled