Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms

Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms is a Japanese tea brand and farm operation based in Wazuka, a historic tea-growing town in Kyoto Prefecture. The brand sells Japanese tea directly to consumers in Japan and internationally through its own online shop, obubutea.com, and presents itself as a relationship between farmer and drinker rather than a simple product transaction. Its catalogue spans classic Japanese tea styles — sencha, kabuse sencha, gyokuro, matcha, genmaicha, hojicha and hoji-genmaicha — sold in small, clearly labelled pack sizes, often 50g or 80g, with prices listed in Japanese yen. The shop page shows a broad range of around 125 products, including sampler sets such as the Obubu Sampler Set and the Drinking Matcha Sampler Set. A central part of the brand is the Obubu Tea Club, described on the company's site as a community-supported agriculture programme founded in 2008 with over 500 members globally. Members receive fresh tea four times a year, in March, May, September and December, covering a wide variety of Japanese teas including rare black and oolong teas, and after one year their names are added to a Tea Farm Owner's Board on the farm. The club is positioned as a way to support sustainable tea farming and small-scale farmers in Wazuka while giving members honorary ownership of a tea farm. Obubu also runs an internship and assistant manager programme, documented on its blog, in which participants from various countries work on projects ranging from data visualisation and illustration to brewing cards and menus. This educational and community-facing activity reinforces the brand's identity as a farm-centred, internationally minded tea company. Shipping is offered by DHL under a Go Green programme intended to offset carbon emissions from shipping. The brand's focus on Wazuka, a region known for high-quality tea, and its direct-from-source model distinguish it in the specialty Japanese tea market.

Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms is based in Wazuka, a town in Kyoto Prefecture long known for tea cultivation. The brand states that it was founded on the belief that tea should not merely be a product but a relationship between farmer and drinker. While the exact founding year of the farm business is not given in the available evidence, the Obubu Tea Club, a central part of the brand's identity, was founded in 2008 and has grown to over 500 members globally. The Tea Club operates as a community-supported agriculture programme. Members receive fresh, high-quality Japanese tea four times per year — in March, May, September and December — reflecting the tea harvesting seasons. The selection is deliberately wide, spanning gyokuro, hojicha and rarer black and oolong teas, with occasional introductions of teas from other regions and farmers. After one year of membership, a member's name is added to the Tea Farm Owner's Board on the farm, giving them honorary ownership of a tea farm in Wazuka. Membership also includes global shipping to most countries at no extra cost, special discounts on additional purchases and merchandise, and invitations to seasonal events such as tea planting and tea picking. Alongside the Tea Club, Obubu sells its teas through its online shop. The shop lists around 125 products, including single-origin teas such as Kabuse Sencha, Sencha of the Wind, Sencha of the Spring Sun, Sencha of the Autumn Moon, Heavenly Drop Gyokuro, Genmaicha, Organic Genmaicha, Hojicha Dark Roast and Hoji-Genmaicha, as well as sampler sets. Prices are shown in Japanese yen, and pack sizes are typically 50g or 80g, with sampler sets in smaller 5g units. The company also runs an internship and assistant manager programme that is documented on its blog. Interns and assistant managers, identified by numbers and coming from countries such as Singapore and elsewhere, work on projects including data visualisation, illustration, brewing cards and menus. This programme supports the brand's educational and community mission and connects it with an international audience. On the logistics side, Obubu offers shipping by DHL, participating in the DHL Go Green programme intended to help negate carbon emissions in the shipping process. The brand continues to present itself as a farm-centred, internationally oriented Japanese tea company rooted in Wazuka's tea-growing heritage.

• 2008

  Obubu Tea Club founded as a community-supported agriculture programme.

• Obubu Tea Club grows to over 500 members globally.

• Online shop lists around 125 tea products, including sampler sets and single-origin teas.

• Internship and assistant manager programme documented on the company blog, with participants from multiple countries.

Specialty Japanese tea producer and direct-to-consumer farm brand from Wazuka, Kyoto, emphasising farmer-to-drinker relationships, sustainable tea farming and community-supported agriculture.

• Kabuse Sencha (80g)

• Drinking Matcha Sampler Set (3 x 5g)

• Genmaicha (80g)

• Obubu Sampler Set (18 x 5g)

• Genmai (80g)

• Organic Genmaicha (80g)

• Sencha of the Wind (80g)

• Heavenly Drop Gyokuro (50g)

• Sencha of the Spring Sun (80g)

• Sencha of the Autumn Moon (80g)

• Hojicha Dark Roast (80g)

• Hoji-Genmaicha (80g)

1. 1Kyoto Obubu Tea Farmsobubutea.com
2. 2Products – Kyoto Obubu Tea Farmsobubutea.com
3. 3Blog – Kyoto Obubu Tea Farmsobubutea.com
4. 4Obubu Tea Club – Kyoto Obubu Tea Farmsobubutea.com