On a hot summer day, inside the processing workshop of Guicha Tea Industry Co., Ltd., Tongren, Guizhou (hereafter referred to as Guicha Company), located at the foot of the World Natural Heritage site Fanjing Mountain, machines hum and the air is filled with the aroma of tea.
“Products such as matcha powder, matcha lattes, matcha cookies, matcha noodles, and matcha chocolates are being produced at an accelerated pace in the ‘World-Class Matcha Mega Factory' workshop.” According to Lan Fangqiang, Deputy General Manager of Guicha Company, the company's matcha production and sales exceeded 1,000 tons in 2023, with 40% exported overseas.
Workers in the Guicha Company production workshop are busy in an orderly manner.
On July 31st, the “Innovative Journey for Regional Coordination and Development” media tour visited the world's largest matcha production base – Guicha Tea Industry Co., Ltd., Tongren, Guizhou, to witness the grandeur of the “World-Class Matcha Mega Factory.”
Guicha Company was established in March 2017 as a modern enterprise that integrates planting, research and development, production, and marketing. The company has invested a total of 600 million RMB to build the Guicha Industrial Park covering 340 acres at the foot of the World Natural Heritage site “Fanjing Mountain.” It has constructed the world's largest single matcha production workshop following standards of cleanliness, intelligence, and standardization; it has four refined tencha production lines and four matcha production lines, achieving a capacity of 4,000 tons; it also has two refined production lines for Red Gem and Green Gem teas, each capable of producing 3,000 tons annually.
“The greatest advantage of Guizhou matcha lies in its ecological safety,” Lan Fangqiang explains. Located on a plateau, Guizhou has a geographical climate characterized by high altitude, low latitude, abundant cloud cover, and scarce sunlight. The tea grown in this highland region is green, ecological, and organic, subject to minimal environmental pollution. Additionally, the province implements green prevention and control measures for pests and diseases in tea gardens and unified pest management, strictly prohibiting the use of pesticides and herbicides, making Guizhou tea truly “clean tea.”
Media journalists experience the brewing process of Eurostandard matcha.
However, Guizhou tea had limited national recognition and influence earlier, and some local Tea processing plants had outdated production technologies, leading to poor sales and low income for tea farmers.
To address these issues, Guicha Company leveraged the clean and pollution-free advantage of Guizhou tea as the key to breaking through sales challenges. It led the way by introducing advanced automated production lines and co-building a quality management system with international authoritative testing institutions Eurofins and SGS, ensuring that the entire tea production process is conducted without contact with the ground, guaranteeing the quality of tea products. At the same time, the company increased its investment in promotion, innovated Brand marketing, created unique brand memories, and raised brand awareness.
In 2023, Guicha Company's production reached 1,200 tons, with a comprehensive output value exceeding 350 million RMB, including matcha sales that surpassed 1,000 tons. The company has built a strong domestic and international sales network, with its main products “Eurostandard Matcha,” “Green Gem Green Tea,” and “Red Gem Black Tea” now popular in over 30 major cities across China and exported to more than 40 countries and regions, including Germany, the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.
Deputy General Manager Lan Fangqiang introduces the company's series of products.
“Eurostandard Matcha is our flagship product, a healthy food that is high in amino acids, high in chlorophyll, and free from pollution,” says Lan Fangqiang. The company currently has over 20 extended matcha products under development, including matcha lattes, matcha cookies, matcha noodles, bottled matcha drinks, matcha protein bars, and matcha facial soaps, all of which are favored by young consumers.
While sharing in the development opportunities of Guizhou, Guicha Company carries out its mission of “enabling everyone to enjoy clean tea” through the Guicha Alliance model of development involving “leading enterprises + alliance enterprises + farmers,” achieving industrial division of labor.
“The Guicha Alliance includes 61 companies across 22 counties in the province, covering 140,000 mu of Eurostandard tea gardens, including 30,000 mu dedicated to matcha,” Lan Fangqiang explains. The company actively contributes to poverty alleviation and rural revitalization through the Guicha Alliance model, cumulatively increasing the income of nearly 100,000 tea farmers, involving 11,500 households living below the poverty line.
Moving forward, Guicha Company will always adhere to the quality and standards of its products, driven by Innovation, deepening its efforts in both domestic and international markets, adhering to a green development philosophy and a talent-driven corporate strategy, promoting the high-quality development of China's matcha industry, and continuously striving for the comprehensive revival and global spread of Chinese matcha culture.