OUR HERITAGE
In 1690, the Yamamoto family moved from Kyoto to the new capital of Tokyo and established a tea shop. Yamamotoyama is the oldest tea company and remains family owned and operated, drawing from its rich heritage and vast expertise to provide healthy and deliciously innovative foods.
REVOLUTIONIZING GREEN TEA
Before Yamamotoyama, only the wealthy had access to green tea in Japan. Kahei Yamamoto dreamed to make green tea accessible to all, and he learned that steaming tea leaves enabled them to remain fresh and green in color with a balanced sweet umami that retains its vitamins and nutrients. This tea, called sencha, became a sensation, and Yamamotoyama became a household name.
Yamamotoyama’s culture of innovation continued with Kahei Yamamoto VI and the invention of gyokuro, the pinnacle of green tea, in 1835. We are one of the only tea companies that grows our product, with tea gardens producing delicious organic green tea according to methods developed over 330 years.
THE LEADER IN SEAWEED
Yamamotoyama is the household name in Japan for seaweed. Yamamotoyama is the major provider of nori seaweed to Japanese restaurants worldwide, and continually develops deliciously healthy and sustainably-grown seaweed products to reintroduce to fans around the world.
YAMAMOTOYAMA AROUND THE WORLD
Continually innovating upon a foundation of expertise steeped in history and tradition, each generation of the Yamamoto family has cultivated a worldwide appreciation for the taste and health benefits of green tea and seaweed. In order to provide quality green tea to people all over the world, Kahei Yamamoto IX searched the globe for optimal conditions before establishing Yamamotoyama Brazil in 1970. In 1975, he established Yamamotoyama U.S.A. in Los Angeles, CA, to process tea and seaweed to the highest standards for supermarkets and restaurants internationally. Through a long-term working relationship, Yamamotoyama U.S.A. acquired Portland, Oregon-based Stash Tea Company in 1993.
EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY
Pomona, California is home to our state-of-the art, SQF (Safety Quality Food) Institute accredited U.S. production facility. We are certified with the Quality Assurance International (QAI) Organic Certification and KOF-K, kosher-certified, and institute the highest level of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and certifications.
