Kritia Ratha wants customers to be able to check where their matcha comes from.

Through CHÃ Wellness, she sells single-origin Japanese matcha directly to consumers in India. Her Instagram bio lists a gold at the junior nationals in the under-52 category, along with a silver and a bronze from the Asian Championship. She splits her time between Chennai and London. Today, she is building a premium matcha brand with product origin at the centre of its pitch.

According to the company, the idea began with a problem Kritia experienced herself. She loved matcha but struggled to find the quality she wanted in India.

She wanted to understand what makes one matcha different from another: where it is grown, how it is harvested, and which cultivar it comes from. That search led her to Japan and to producers focused on the craft of tea. The company says CHÃ began with a single lot sourced from Uji in 2021.

CHÃ sells five matchas from two regions. Okumidori, House and AAA come from Shizuoka, while Yamayabu and Gokou come from Kyoto. Okumidori, Yamayabu and Gokou are first-harvest varieties; AAA and House are second-harvest varieties. The company says it works directly with fifth-generation farmers.

Each variety is aimed at a different buyer. AAA is positioned for people new to matcha, while House is designed for everyday lattes. The first-harvest tins cater to drinkers looking to explore different flavour profiles.

A 25g tin costs between ₹1,199 for AAA and ₹3,499 for Okumidori. At the recommended serving size of 3g, each tin provides roughly eight servings.

That is a significant price for a first-time buyer, so CHÃ leans on traceability. The company says every tin carries a provenance code. According to the brand, scanning it reveals information about the farm, elevation, harvest date and laboratory testing.

In a category where buyers may struggle to distinguish one matcha from another, this gives them something to examine beyond the label. Its value, however, depends on how consistently the company maintains those records and how easily customers can understand them.

The name sits between chai and Japanese tea. On the brand's website, the founder's story describes chai in India as more than a drink. It is a daily pause, shared with the people around you.

Kritia saw similar potential in matcha. CHÃ aims to bring Japanese tea craftsmanship into the way India already experiences tea.

CHÃ is not just an online store. Its Japanese café in Chennai gives customers a place to experience matcha through prepared drinks. The brand has also run pop-ups in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai, and lists partner cafés and retail locations on its website.

It sells accessories too, including a whisk, a bowl, a sipper and a charm. With prices starting at ₹499, these products offer a more affordable entry point than a tin costing up to ₹3,499.

The channels can reinforce one another. Someone might discover matcha through a café drink and later order a tin to prepare at home. The café also gives the brand a way to demonstrate preparation techniques that are harder to communicate through a product page alone.

There is a trade-off. Rent, staff and equipment add costs that an online store does not carry in the same way. The café's long-term value will depend on whether it can generate enough sales, customer loyalty and brand awareness to justify those expenses.

The numbers on Instagram offer a snapshot of where the attention sits. Kritia's personal account has approximately 31,700 followers, while CHÃ Wellness has around 11,300.

These figures are not measures of sales, but they show that her personal audience is nearly three times the size of the brand's.

That can help a business whose proposition depends on explaining details such as cultivars, harvests and sourcing. A founder who shares the process can make those details easier for customers to understand.

It also creates a longer-term challenge. The brand needs to build customer relationships that extend beyond the founder's personal reach. Eventually, customers must have reasons to return for the matcha itself, not just the person behind it.

CHÃ is targeting a specific buyer: someone who wants to know more about what is in the tin and is willing to pay a premium for that information.

Its five-matcha range, provenance codes and café experience give the proposition substance. The founder's audience provides a potential route to new customers.

But CHÃ is not operating alone. Platform magazine has included it among homegrown matcha brands alongside Yuzen, Mez, Midori and Bree. As more brands compete for the same customers, provenance will need to be more than a marketing claim. It will have to translate into a difference customers can recognise and value.

The measure of the business will be repeat orders. A ₹3,499 tin might attract a curious first-time buyer. The harder task is giving that customer a reason to buy the next one.