Nomu Matcha is ceremonial-grade and comes from the "champagne" of matcha regions in Japan, Uji.
Nomu Matcha is ceremonial-grade and comes from the "champagne" of matcha regions in Japan, Uji.
Tessa Stockdale, co-founder of Nomu Matcha, talks to Tom Raynel about starting a business with her mum from across the globe, and what goes into ceremonial grade matcha.
Nomu is amatcha brand that exists to make great matcha more accessible to Kiwis. For those people who don’t know, matcha itself comes from the green tea family, but it’s not green tea itself. The entire tea leaf is shade-grown, harvested, dried, and then ground down into a fine powder, and then it’s consumed in its entirety.
It’s actually a caffeinated alternative to coffee, but it’s packed with so many vitamins and minerals, and it has this amazing anti-anxiety property called Altheanine. Many people end up switching to matcha from coffee for this reason. It also has a slower sustained caffeine release than coffee.
It came from a pain point and that was with Mum [Karen Parsons] and I being matcha lovers, we were so sick of spending too much money on clumpy, bitter matcha lattes. I was living in London at the time, back in October 2023, and I was killing time waiting to meet a friend for dinner, [after] I’d had a really bad matcha that day. I was just so frustrated at the lack of knowledge around it and not being able to get a good matcha when I went out.
I started to concept and sketch what would become our Nomu spoon. I remember looking at it and thinking it might actually work and so honestly it was the invention of our spoon, which is the first of its kind, that ended up being the catalyst for Nomu.
Tessa Stockdale and her mum Karen Parsons worked from opposite sides of the world to launch their business, Nomu Matcha.
You travelled to Japan to learn more about matcha, what was that experience like?
The first matcha I sat and had in Japan, I was in tears because it was just such an honour to be there. It was a really big decision to send myself to Japan. We always knew we were doing it because Mum and I have said from the start, if we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it well. But obviously, we’re a small business and the investment to send us across to a country which isn’t cheap to visit was a big consideration at the start.
It was so important for us to go and find a supplier who could deliver the blends that we were looking for, which were high quality, early harvest leaves, so we could bring that to Kiwis, but to also find someone who could really be our partner in this process.
We were really lucky that we found a third-generation family who are not just suppliers to us, they’re actually our mentors and they guide us in educating both ourselves, but also Kiwis about the significance of matcha as a product.
You’ve created a new tool for your brand, how does it work?
It simply takes a two-gram serving size, which is the perfect size you would need for Nomu Matcha. Then it evens out by having the top of the spoon and the mesh sieve swivel across, so there’s zero wastage, which is great because matcha is expensive.
That sieve is a really important part of the preparation process because that’s what gets rid of all the clumps. It turns that fine powder to even further fine powder, and if you’ve ever had a clumpy matcha, well, you’ll never want to drink one again.
Nomu Matcha has developed a unique matcha spoon, with the perfect serving size and a built-in mesh sieve to ensure consistent quality.
What has it been like starting a business with your mum Karen?
She’s been amazing. I mean, I think like everyone getting into business with family, they always say don’t do it, but mum and I have always had a really fantastic relationship. She’s been a huge inspiration for me in terms of my career in general, so getting into business with her has been a real blessing.
For her, I think it’s been amazing because she felt like she’s been able to touch her part of the community as an older woman. The aesthetic that quite often comes with matcha is pilates, health fad, very monochromatic and chic.
That space, I think sometimes Mum would say herself, she doesn’t feel like she fits into that mould, but the reality is she can and she loves it, and she wants other women of her age to feel like, just because you don’t fit that aesthetic doesn’t mean that it’s not for you.
What would be your advice to other budding entrepreneurs wanting to start their own business?
I would say don’t leave anything to chance. If you don’t make it happen, it’s probably not going to happen. It’s easy to start a business, but it’s hard to start a successful one and the latter is exhausting. It takes longer, it might break you, but it’s worth it.
And I think with that you also need to trust your gut. Don’t be afraid to be overly particular, especially at the start. If you feel strongly about something, don’t relinquish it and push it till it lands. Be prepared to have a few WTF moments but be prepared for something that’s incredibly rewarding and that ultimately hopefully will change you and your life for the better.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business and retail.
