Akihiro Kita "Akky"

President / Founder / Lead Farmer

Akihiro “Akky” Kita is our president and head farmer. His desire to make this tea available to the general public is the foundation of Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms. In college, Akky took up a part-time job as a farmhand in Wazuka, and fell in love with the tea he was drinking on the farm. He made the decision then to leave college and devote his time to mastering the art of tea farming. Recognizing the need for independent farmers like himself to spread their wings and passion about the joy of drinking Japanese tea, he travels each year during the winter off season to introduce tea to people around the world

Yasuharu Matsumoto "Matsu" 

Vice President / Founder / Business Development Lead

Yasuharu “Matsu” Matsumoto spends much of his time connecting with Obubu’s customers in Japan and focusing on management of the business. Together with Akky, the visionary pair seek to transform the tea farming industry in Japan. Matsu is also the driving force behind Obubu’s push to overseas markets. He travels the world teaching people about Japanese tea with events such as the Euro Tour.

Hirokazu Matsumoto "Hiro"

Founder / Event and Factory Lead

Hiro is an event manager, factory manager and tea tour instructor at Obubu. His love of tea can be traced back to his college days where at the age of nineteen, he took a job as a tea farmer.
Hiro is responsible for overseeing the operation of Obubu’s sencha factory. He ensures its smooth operation and that it meets a high standard of hygiene and safety for Obubu’s staff. His bubbly personality also equips him as the ideal host for our public events where he loves meeting new people and sharing his knowledge of tea!

Kayo Takeuchi

Tea Club Lead

A mother of two, an avid reader, a social media savant and a great cook. After falling in love with the tea in Wazuka, Kayo moved her family to the area to work with Obubu as the Head of Operations. Kayo is the "Obubu mama" for the interns, periodically whipping up udon or soba lunch for everyone in the office. But her favorite food of all is Thai food!

George Guttridge-Smith

International Department

One of his deepest passions is to share his love for tea with people from around the world. Originally from the UK, his passion for tea grew deeper after visiting a tea farm and factory in Sri Lanka. He followed his passion to India and Nepal in search of amazing tea and spent five months learning about tea in the foothills of the Himalayas. He decided to discover more about tea cultivation and production in other tea producing regions of the world and this is what led him to Obubu. At Obubu, George works as an international manager, looks after the international tea club, helps keep our internship program running strong, and also documents what we get up to at Obubu! ⠀

Miwako Kita

Farming/Website Support

Miwako is one of the leaders managing “Aoi Mori,” one of Obubu’s pesticide-free and fertiliser-free tea fields. In addition to overseeing the field, she is responsible for designing and managing our domestic website and also takes care of our storefront operations. With a deep love for agriculture, Miwako dove into the world of tea, and now her greatest joy is being in the tea fields. She has learned the art of tea field management from our Co-President, Akky-san, gaining valuable experience and honing her skills in evaluating tea leaves. Miwako is passionate about creating delicious tea. We invite you to take this opportunity to try her wonderful tea!

Pau Valverde Molina

Assistant Manager

Pau was born in Catalonia, Spain. Now lives in the tea village of Wazuka, Japan, after living in Sweden, Osaka, Tanzania and the UK. He likes to tend to tea, in and out of the fields, learning and teaching, its culture, and craftsmanship. Tea's most valuable quality is that it brings people together. Whether you invite friends to share a brew or join a tea club, it's about the people you meet and the connections you make. If you see him around, he most likely has a teapot with him.

Sarah Mazza

Assistant Manager

If there’s a thing that Sarah likes more than tea, that is tea-puns! And she spends a very (oo)long time thinking about them… As a food anthropologist, Sarah became interested in tea supply chains, tea consumption and the journey of tea as a cross-cultural product. This interest and curiosity in tea, and specifically Japanese tea, brough her to Obubu, first as an Intern, then as an Assistant Manager. At Obubu, Sarah deeply fell in love with tea processing. When not in the factory, or with guests on the tea tour, you might find her behind a desktop, editing videos for Obubu’s YouTube.

Sarah McDaniel

Assistant Manager

Sarah “Mac” McDaniel is a current assistant manager at Obubu. Originally from the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, she first came to Japan in 2015 as an intern and quickly fell in love with Obubu Tea Farms and the surrounding town of Wazuka. An avid lover of botany, she has a background in horticulture, floral design and photography. When she isn’t helping out in the factory or fields, you can find her taking photos, brewing her favorite tea (Wakoucha) or working in the garden.

Alix Kergutuil

Assistant Manager

Originally from the North-West of France, Alix is one of the assistant managers here at Obubu, helping with farming, tea tours and internship management. With a background in food science and European labels of quality, Alix came to Obubu to learn about Japanese tea, and specifically about how different variables like the terroir and the process impact the final taste of the tea. An avid foodie, you will often find her enjoying local delicacies like wagashi, dorayaki, and Lawson’s snacks.

Check out Obubu's Philosophy and the Staff's Recommendations if you haven't already!