Guizhou and Zhejiang Bring a Dedicated Matcha Pavilion to Hong Kong's Tea Fair
China supplies close to 70% of the world's matcha, and Guizhou and Zhejiang used a new pavilion at Hong Kong's tea fair to press the point, backed by Zhejiang's 7.3-times jump in first-quarter exports and Tongren's rise to the world's second-largest matcha exporter.
China already produces close to 70% of the world's matcha, and two of its provinces used Hong Kong's tea fair this month to make sure buyers noticed.
A Chinese Mainland Matcha Pavilion, the fair's first dedicated matcha showcase, made its debut at the Hong Kong International Tea Fair, which ran August 13 to 15 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It was presented by Guizhou and Zhejiang, which the fair's organizer, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), called "the mainland's two leading matcha-exporting regions."
China produced more than 12,000 tonnes (about 13,200 US tons) of matcha in 2025, on an average annual compound growth rate of 28.67% over roughly the past five years, according to People's Daily Online. On the pavilion's stands were ceremonial-grade matcha, beverage-grade matcha and matcha desserts, according to HKTDC, a range running from the tin sold by the gram to the ingredient bought by the tonne.
Zhejiang produced 8,851 tonnes of matcha in 2025, valued at 1.1 billion yuan (about US$162 million), People's Daily Online reported. In the first quarter of 2026 the province exported 1,242 tonnes worth 140 million yuan (about US$19.5 million), up 7.3 times year on year.
Guizhou's Tongren region produced 2,500 tonnes in 2025 and exported 1,300 tonnes of it, up threefold year on year, ranking first nationally and second globally by matcha exports, People's Daily Online reported. Tongren's first-quarter export volume rose more than 40% year on year in 2026, reaching 54 countries and regions.
Wang Qing, president of the China Tea Marketing Association, said matcha is "a core area for extending and upgrading China's tea industry chain."
A companion Hong Kong International Tea Culture Forum convened at the fair on August 14, jointly organized by HKTDC and the Chinese Tea Culture International Exchange Association. Its stated goal was moving Chinese tea brands from "going global" to "embedding locally" in overseas markets, and building a complete industry chain from raw material to brand export. Wang Yuefei, director of the Tea Research Institute at Zhejiang University, spoke on technological innovation in China's tea industry. Mao Limin, vice president of the Chinese Tea Communication Association, spoke on the matcha resurgence specifically.
The fair the pavilion joined is sizable: its 2025 edition drew 218 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions and 18,446 physical buyers from 64, according to HKTDC.
Guizhou has set its own target under China's 15th Five-Year Plan, which runs from 2026 to 2030: embedding matcha into 10,000 consumption touchpoints and reaching a combined output value of 10 billion yuan (about US$1.4 billion) for the province's matcha industry.
Sources: Food Expo PRO and Hong Kong International Tea Fair Open This Week with a Wellness Focus, HKTDC Newsbites; Fair at a Glance, HKTDC; HK forum on international tea culture to spotlight global push for Chinese tea, China Daily (Hong Kong Edition); China brews global matcha success, People's Daily Online.