Our Story: How Yu Tea Began

Kiyomi Koike, Founder and ITMA Certified Tea Master

Dear cherished customers,

I am reaching out with a heart full of gratitude and a story that I hold very dear. My name is Kiyomi Koike, and I am the founder of Yu Tea Co., a humble family venture that found its roots in rural Oregon in 2004. This journey began from a deeply personal chapter of my life, one marked by fear, uncertainty, but ultimately, hope and rejuvenation. It all started back in 2001, just three months after welcoming our second child into the world, when my husband, Bill, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The prognosis was daunting, with only a 50% chance of survival.

My emotional turmoil was compounded when my mother, who had been withholding news so as not to burden me during my pregnancy, revealed that my father was also battling cancer, with only a few months left to live. The thought of losing the two most important men in my life was unbearable. During this dark time, I witnessed the purest form of empathy from our then nearly 3-year-old son.

As he saw me overwhelmed with despair, he came to my side, offering comfort with his gentle touch and soothing words, "It's OK, Mommy; it's OK." It was at that moment I knew I had to muster the strength to move forward, for my family. In a quest to find solace and hope, I turned to a familiar comfort from my upbringing in Japan: green tea. I urged Bill to drink 10 cups of freshly brewed green tea daily, a daily habit for many families in Japan. Despite his initial reluctance and struggle with the taste, we were determined to find a better way to incorporate green tea into our lives. This determination led to the discovery and creation of Yu's signature product, Organic Sencha Green Tea Powder.

Organic Sencha Green Tea Powder was a revelation for us. It let Bill drink the entire tea leaf as a fine powder, without the bitterness he disliked in brewed tea, and it became the start of Yu Tea. Bill went through surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and he drank his sencha every day along the way. As he recovered, my passion for sharing Japanese green tea grew, and I began studying what makes sencha different and how it is grown and made.

Bill, who once faced a grim prognosis, has now been cancer-free for more than 20 years, and we are deeply grateful to his doctors. In 2020, researchers in Germany even used our sencha powder in a laboratory study on cancer cells (PMC7407630). It was a cell study, not a study in people, and we share it because it is part of our story.

This experience taught us how much a small daily ritual can mean in hard times. It also inspired me to become a Certified Life and Wellness Coach and a Certified Tea Master from the International Tea Masters Association, so I can share what I have learned about Japanese tea.

Once, we feared Bill wouldn’t witness our newborn baby’s milestones, but two decades later, he proudly walked her down the wedding aisle. Today, we are building on this story and remain deeply committed to sourcing the finest organic Japanese green tea and bringing it to as many people as possible.

To you, our valued customers, I extend an invitation to discover Japanese green tea the way my family does. What began as a desperate search for hope in the face of adversity has grown into Yu Tea Co., a testament to the strength and resilience of a family. Let us share with you not just a product, but a piece of our hearts and our story.

Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you. I hope our tea brings you a calm moment every day.

Warmest regards,