frame first started with a question.

As a cafe owner, matcha was already on my menu. I ordered through a wholesaler, priced reasonably, served without much thought. It worked. But the more I paid attention to what I was actually serving, the more I realized I couldn't answer the most basic things about it. What cultivar was in the tin? Which farm grew it? When was it harvested? I knew more about the coffee on my menu than the matcha I'd been pouring for months.

In the coffee industry, transparency is just part of the culture. We talk about process, altitude, variety and we know the people behind the crop. Matcha is just as intricate and I believe it deserved the same transparency.

In 2021, I began reaching out to Japanese tea farmers directly. I expected it to be difficult but what I found was the opposite: the farmers were generous with their knowledge, meticulous in their craft, and genuinely proud of what they grew. They weren't hiding anything. They had simply never been asked.

That stayed with me. Frame was my answer to it.

Every tin we carry comes with the farm, the cultivar, the elevation, the harvest. We pay full price, directly, because the people growing exceptional matcha should be able to live well from that work. Each order ships with tasting notes and a postcard - not as packaging, but as introduction. There is a person behind what you're serving. We think they're worth knowing.

The matcha industry is growing fast. What Frame is trying to show is that growth and integrity aren't in conflict. Traceability is simple when someone decides it matters.