Our Story
The Heapwell Trail
From university kitchens in London to tea fields across Japan.
Heapwell began in 2015 as a hobby project between two brothers who fell in love with matcha. Heapwell now works with established tea partners in Japan to select matcha for different drinking styles and applications. We import it into India, pack and store it with local conditions in mind, and independently test applicable products and batches.
Heapwell begins in London
In 2015, it started with matcha parties and endless experimentation.
A brand shaped with friends
Friends at UCA helped develop Heapwell’s early visual identity as the project moved beyond the kitchen.
Learning from cafés
We shared matcha with baristas around Shoreditch and compared how different samples performed with water and milk.
Our first product
Heapwell launched online with a small catalogue built around one matcha.
Amazon launch in 2016
Heapwell expanded into India and Amazon in 2016, beginning the next phase of the business.
Japan calling
We travelled to Japan to understand the supply chain more closely and begin building relationships with Japanese tea partners.
Learning matcha the hard way
From samples to Shoreditch
In 2015, there was not much useful information about matcha online. So we collected samples from Kagoshima and Shizuoka, tasted them ourselves, and tried to understand colour, aroma, bitterness and mouthfeel.
Then we walked through the café alleys of Shoreditch, shared bowls with baristas, made simple drinks, asked questions, and listened. Those conversations helped us finalise our first blend.
What we asked
- ✓Is the bitterness appropriate for its intended use?
- ✓Does the colour stay bright?
- ✓Does it work with milk?
- ✓Does it taste clean with water?
- ✓Would a customer come back for this?
The first Japan trip in 2016
A reality check in Wazuka
We thought we could just walk into tea farms and buy the best leaves. Wazuka taught us otherwise.
Good matcha is not simply found. It is earned through producer relationships, tea company trust, auction expertise and time.
Big lesson
Matcha is not just a product. It is a relationship.
Heapwell does not grow or manufacture matcha. We work with Japanese tea partners to evaluate and select products suited to different uses and drinking styles.
Building relationships
From Uji to Shizuoka and beyond
We stayed in Uji, built relationships with tea producers, travelled to Shizuoka, and booked one of our first shipments from Japan.
Premium Matcha from Shizuoka came first, followed by Kotobuki, our finest matcha from Uji.
Today
More regions. Stronger partnerships.
We now work with tea producers across Japan, including Kyoto, Shizuoka, Kagoshima, Mie and Fukuoka.
Demand is higher than ever. Production is limited. Milling queues are long. We are grateful for our partners and the trust they place in us.
Heapwell Superfoods is a registered trademark and brand owned and operated by Premium Lifestyles. Premium Lifestyles is the legal entity behind Heapwell Superfoods and is owned by Ninad Pralhad Pednekar.