Snow's Tea Journey

Rooted in Purpose: What I Learned from d:matcha (Snow L.）

This summer, as part of my Stanford MBA summer journey, I had the precious opportunity to work with d:matcha in Yubune, Wazuka, Kyoto. I arrived with the goal of supporting business and brand development. Yet as the summer unfolded, I found something far richer—an experience that blurred the boundaries between passion, work, life, family, and community.

Early on, I asked Daiki-san whether our focus should be on growing direct-to-consumer sales or raising brand awareness. His answer came without hesitation: “brand awareness.” As I spent more time here, I came to see it as a way of life. For Daiki-san, the true mission is not profit, but sharing the quiet, authentic, organic virtues of Japanese matcha with the world. Profit is simply the byproduct of sincerity.

Everyday life at d:matcha reflects this truth. Daiki-san and Misato-san wake before dawn to tend the tea fields, then move through a rhythm of hosting tours, cooking for guests, designing the website, and caring for every detail. Their dedication flows through the entire team, which feels less like a company and more like a family, bound by trust, shared purpose, and love.

The vision extends beyond tea. d:matcha stewards 70% of Yubune’s tea fields, preserving the land for over 150 elders while restoring shrines and traditional homes. Farming follows a natural cycle, and the team supports local artists and communities, weaving culture and sustainability together. It is not just a typical company—it is a social enterprise.

In the stillness of the tea fields, I realized that entrepreneurship is an act of devotion. In a world that prizes speed, holding to one’s core values and mission is a daily commitment.

True leadership, I learned from Daiki-san, isn’t just about striving for growth. It is about nurturing the very soil our tea grows in, the people who tend our fields, and the spirit of our community. We trust that when the roots are cared for, the harvest—like the most vibrant tencha leaves in spring—will come naturally.

This lesson stays with me like the lingering umami of our matcha: subtle, yet profound. As a startup founder, I constantly remind myself to build with the patience it takes to grow organic tea—with integrity, sincerity, empathy, and harmony with the world around us. Not just to build a business, but to build a community rooted in purpose.

The social impact, cultural preservation, and authentic value we share with the world—this is what makes d:matcha different. This is the purpose in every leaf.