Matcha for Cafés: Balancing Cost and Quality
How to serve exceptional matcha without eroding your margins. A practical guide for café owners.
Matcha is one of the highest-margin items on most café menus. But only if you get the cost-quality equation right.
The temptation to buy the cheapest matcha available is understandable — margins matter. However, low-quality matcha often results in drinks that taste bitter, look dull, and fail to justify premium pricing.
The sweet spot for most cafés is a professional-grade matcha that delivers vibrant color, smooth flavor, and consistent performance at a wholesale price point that protects your margins.
Consider this: if your matcha costs slightly more per serving but allows you to charge AED 5-8 more per drink — and generates repeat customers — the ROI is clear.
The key metrics to track are: cost per serving, customer return rate on matcha drinks, and average selling price. A quality supplier should help you optimize all three.