Vale Matcha Could Be Seattle's Next Amazon 🍵⚡️
An R&D lab in pioneer square building robotic vending machines. A warehouse in the International District with the largest tencha processing line in America. America’s largest tea farm (dedicated purely to Matcha), 350+ acres. A network of matcha carts around Seattle. A brick and mortar matcha/coffee cafe in South Lake Union … What do these Pacific Northwest businesses have in common?
They are all owned by Vale Matcha.
To make it even more impressive, the company is 100% bootstrapped, and has taken $0 of investor money.
At first, it seems like a random splattering of initiatives across the Matcha supply chain. Then you realize these are the tentacles of a new food distribution Kraken emerging out of the Puget Sound.
The mission of Vale is more than Matcha. The company views its beverage (and eventually food) distribution network as the answer to one of America’s biggest problems; food deserts. In the long-run, the company is poised to look more like Amazon, a logistics behemoth, rather than a quiet cafe using bamboo whisks to hand-make your fancy green tea.
Founder X Factor
It all starts with Luke Larson. The founder of Vale Matcha and a PNW native. He has Silicon Valley-garage level excitement, mixed with the tenacity to move at lightning speed. He spent his early career in the military, then rising through the ranks of Axon, where he eventually became president and led them to over $1B+ in annual revenue. After a health scare a few years ago, he made a massive pivot.
Now he’s focused on getting American’s to stop eating and drinking “processed crap.” Matcha Madness It all starts with Matcha. The cute green drink that has spread like wildfire across the West. Promising a smoother caffeine-buzz (balanced by L-theanine in green tea leaves) that used to be the drink of Samurais before battle.
Matcha is so popular that Japan can’t make enough of it. Prices are skyrocketing, and demand is showing no signs of letting up. The people have spoken, they want more matcha. Luke is tackling this problem head on, by vertically integrating and literally starting his own matcha farm. Vale is also setting up the processing capabilities to turn those leaves into premium Matcha powder at a high quality he calls the “Cascadia Matcha Standard.” Matcha is a daily drinker for millions of people in America and growing.
Luke thinks it can be the starting wedge to launch his food distribution empire. Vale’s Vision Interestingly, if you go to a Vale cafe, cart or vending machine … you’ll notice they serve more than matcha. Cold brew coffee, hibiscus tea … they are slowly expanding to a full cafe menu. Luke tells me it won’t stop there. Eventually he envisions that Vale’s robotic vending machines could serve acai bowls or even salads. He starts to crack a smile as he lets out a secret, we want to be as big as Tesla or Amazon. My ears perk up. The bigger the problem the bigger the opportunity.
The majority of American’s do not have access to fresh and healthy foods. It’s a massive logistical food distribution problem that needs to be solved. This is the ambitious world-changing vision Vale is after. Making healthy and “craft-level” food and drinks accessible to everyone. Not only changing the food industry, but revolutionizing healthcare by improving what we put in our bodies.
Artisanal For The Masses
This is what gets me so excited. I’m a picky eater. 90% of meals in America are unhealthy and not yummy (my opinion). Vale could change that. Leveraging technology to distribute fresh ingredients and prepare the efficiently. At the end-state, I see Vale as a network of vending machines with robotic chefs inside. Disrupting the very idea of a restaurant or grocery store in itself.
There will be a long-road to get there, and many bumps along the way … but Vale is a company I think everyone should be watching.
In some ways they’ve already made history. Starting the largest tea farm in America … a nation that was founded because of a tax on tea. The scope of Luke’s ambition and the speed at which he’s moving are things I’ve never seen in the Seattle startup community.
It’s easy to forget that the prosperity of Seattle is thanks to technology. Microsoft, then Amazon… changing the world from humble Seattle roots. Will there be a new generation of Seattle companies who can make a similar impact? I hope so. And this summer, I feel like I met a strong candidate. Vale Matcha.
