Meet Alan and Samantha

The story behind Matcha Society

Hi, it’s Alan and Samantha here, and we are the founders of Matcha Society! We wanted to share our stories here and connect with all of the members of Matcha Society, and we hope that our story can inspire you to keep chasing and dreaming, and fuel your visions with matcha 🍵

Who are you, and what were you doing before Matcha Society?

Meet Alan

Before Matcha Society, my world revolved around numbers, structure and performance. I studied Accounting and Tax at Monash University and worked full-time in the accounting industry, and did financial work for small businesses. I enjoyed understanding how businesses operated, how margins worked, where growth came from, and what made something sustainable in the long term.

Outside of work, fitness has always been a big part of my identity. I spend a lot of time running, at the gym, playing golf or tennis, and I admire cars.

Business, to me, has never just been about money. It’s about building something valuable and connecting with people through that value.

Meet Samantha

Before Matcha Society, I was working as a nurse in a private clinic while building my own therapy clinic supporting children with disabilities. That journey eventually led me to complete a Graduate Certificate in Autism Studies. Caring for people has always felt natural to me; it’s purposeful and deeply human work.

Starting a service-based business felt aligned with my training. I understood healthcare. I understood how to look after people.

But alongside that clinical side of me, there has always been another part. The part that loves aesthetics, storytelling and creating experiences. I’ve always been drawn to building things that feel meaningful, not just functional.

Matcha Society eventually became the place where those two sides of me met.

When did matcha first enter your life?

Alan

My first experience with matcha was when I was 17. I ordered a matcha drink from Chatime, and it made me feel really sick. I remember vividly deciding that I hated green tea after that. For years, I avoided it completely.

If you had told me back then that I would build a matcha company one day, I genuinely wouldn’t have believed you.

It wasn’t until much later, when Samantha introduced me to what matcha was actually supposed to taste like, that my perspective changed. When we began sampling matcha together, I started to understand why people loved it. A well-sourced, properly prepared matcha is smooth, balanced and clean. It’s completely different from the sugary versions I had tried before.

That shift was gradual, but once I experienced high-quality matcha, I couldn’t ignore the difference.

Samantha

My first matcha was at Starbucks, but it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t memorable.

The moment that really changed everything happened in a small Japanese café in the Philippines. I still remember that cup so clearly. It was vibrant and bright green, smooth and layered with a gentle sweetness. It wasn’t bitter, dull or yellow like many versions I had tasted before. It felt alive and intentional.

That experience stayed with me.

When I came back to Australia, I kept trying to find that same quality. Instead, most of what I found was stale, flat and lacking freshness. It didn’t have that smooth umami depth I had fallen in love with overseas. Over time, I realised there was a significant gap between what matcha could be and what was widely available here.

That realisation lingered in the back of my mind for a long time.

Why matcha specifically?

Alan

I don’t drink coffee, partly because I don’t like how it stains my teeth, but mostly because I don’t enjoy how it makes me feel.

Matcha felt different from the beginning. The caffeine release is steady rather than aggressive, and the antioxidant content aligns with how I approach my health and fitness. I drink at least two cups a day, and I switch to Hojicha at night. It’s genuinely part of my routine now.

I feel clean and lean after drinking matcha. Focused, but calm.

As I learned more about sourcing and quality, I also started to see matcha through a different lens — not just as a drink, but as a product that requires precision and care. That appreciation for refinement and detail resonated with me. It wasn’t just about taste; it was about doing it properly.

Samantha

For me, it started with frustration.

What we had in Australia just… wasn’t it.

Most of the matcha I tried here felt stale, yellowish and flat. It didn’t taste vibrant or fresh, and it didn’t have that smooth umami sweetness I had experienced overseas. It felt like people were drinking matcha without actually knowing what matcha was supposed to taste like.

That bothered me more than I expected.

Matcha Society wasn’t born because we sat down and said, “Let’s start a business.” It came from repeatedly asking, “Why isn’t it better?” and “What if it could be?”

I didn’t just see a product opportunity. I saw potential for culture. I imagined something elevated but never intimidating. A brand that people felt part of, not excluded from. Something thoughtful and intentional.

Matcha felt like the right medium for that vision.

What challenges did you face in the beginning?

Alan

We started early, before matcha became widely popular in Australia. There wasn’t strong demand yet, which meant we had to create belief before there was momentum.

We initially invested in 500g bags, intending to supply cafés. I would take sick days from work and spend them door-knocking, walking into café after café with samples. Many times, we sold at a loss simply to get the product into people’s hands. It wasn’t glamorous, but I believed in the long-term vision.

At the same time, I was balancing full-time work with building Matcha Society. 14-hour workdays became normal, and 80-hour weeks weren’t unusual. I even worked Sundays at a pharmacy to maintain financial stability while we reinvested in the business.

We didn’t understand marketing. We changed our logo four times. We filmed content at home on basic equipment, editing videos that felt impressive at the time but look very different now. We sampled hundreds of matcha powders, sometimes up to ten in a single day, until they all started tasting the same. We researched import duties, agricultural standards and certifications from scratch.

We had a big vision, but very little capital.

Looking back, it was exhausting. But it also built resilience.

Samantha

For me, the biggest challenge wasn’t the hours; it was self-doubt.

Building something from nothing can feel isolating, especially when you’re young, and there aren’t many people around you doing the same thing. I had very big visions for Matcha Society, but there were days when my confidence didn’t match the size of those dreams.

A product-based business felt unfamiliar. In healthcare, I was trained and confident. In this space, we were learning everything from scratch - sourcing, margins, branding, packaging, and importing. We asked endless questions and researched late into the night. It felt like being a student again, except there was no syllabus and no guarantee of success.

There were moments when I questioned whether I was meant to do this at all.

But I kept coming back to the vision I could see so clearly in my mind. That clarity helped me push through the uncertainty.

At the beginning, what did you think the future would look like?

Alan

Our vision has always been big, probably bigger than it needed to be in the early days.

I’ve imagined Matcha Society themed Airbnbs, signature green vans travelling around Australia, and becoming the leading distributor sourcing from multiple farms in Japan and housing everything in Melbourne. I want Matcha Society to be the brand that represents Australia properly, not because it’s trendy, but because it’s done right.

We are still far from that full vision, but I believe in building patiently. If something is worth doing, it’s worth refining over time.

Samantha

From the beginning, I didn’t just see tins of matcha on a shelf. I saw events, collaborations with brands I genuinely admire, pop-ups, creative shoots and limited drops. I saw new blends and new ways to experience matcha.

I wanted Matcha Society to feel elevated but never intimidating. I wanted people to feel part of it. To feel like they belonged to something thoughtful and intentional.

Matcha Society isn’t separate from my nursing background or my therapy clinic. In fact, it sits alongside it. One side of me is structured and clinical. The other side loves creativity and storytelling. This brand is where those two parts meet.

It’s proof that you’re allowed to evolve. You’re allowed to have multiple passions. And you’re allowed to build something simply because you believe in it.

Matcha Society began with curiosity, long hours and a belief that matcha in Australia could be better. We didn’t start with certainty or perfect plans; we started with a feeling, a standard we weren’t willing to compromise on, and a desire to build something intentional. For us, it’s never just been about selling matcha. It’s about doing things properly, staying curious, striving for better every day, and creating something people can genuinely feel part of. In many ways, we’re only just getting started. We created Matcha Society to fuel every vision out there - including our own.