When Rocky Xu served matcha at a Louis Vuitton office during Paris Fashion Week, it wasn’t just another catering gig—it was proof that Rocky’s Matcha had transcended the beverage industry to become something much bigger.
What started as a “happy accident” at a friend’s flea market has evolved into one of the most coveted matcha brands in Los Angeles and beyond, with a cult following that spans celebrities, artists, and tastemakers worldwide.
Rocky’s approach to building Rocky’s Matcha offers countless lessons in creating an “it” brand that breaks through the noise, all while balancing your day job.
Combining intuition and opportunity
“To be honest, it was a bit of a happy accident,” Rocky admits about the origins of Rocky’s Matcha. After years in corporate brand extension—first at Nike, then at Beats—friends were pushing him to start a traditional agency. But he resisted.
The breakthrough came when a friend, Pedro Cavaliere, Community Goods Founder, invited him to serve matcha at a flea market. “He was like, ‘I know you’ve been doing the matcha thing. Why don’t you bring it and serve it at my flea market? Because I want people to walk into my flea market as if they’re walking into my home.’” That casual suggestion became the foundation of what would become a beloved brand.
The first principle of building an “it” brand: Make it authentic. Rocky didn’t conduct market research or develop a business plan—he simply shared something he genuinely loved. “The name of our holding company as our inside joke is that it’s Intuition Corporation,” he laughs, highlighting how gut instinct guided major decisions.
The most compelling brands often emerge from personal passion. When you’re genuinely excited about what you’re creating, that enthusiasm becomes contagious.
Mastering the art of genuine connection
One of Rocky’s superpowers lies in his ability to build meaningful relationships across cultures and industries. When asked about his secret to making connections, his answer is deceptively simple: “Just being genuine and, you know, it costs you nothing to be nice.”
This philosophy proved transformative when he traveled to Japan to source matcha. “Here I am. Chinese American, selling Japanese green tea in Tokyo. … Straight imposter syndrome,” he recalls.
But his genuine respect for the craft won over producers and tea masters. “So many people within the tea community in Japan actually came to our pop-up and introduced themselves and were like, ‘Hey, we’ve been following what you’re doing. We really like what you’re doing.’"
A traditional whisk maker even traveled from Nara to Tokyo just to support the pop-up, bringing handcrafted whisks as gifts. These weren’t transactions—they were relationships built on mutual respect and shared passion.
This approach extends beyond sourcing to customer relationships. “Sometimes people don’t understand why something costs what it does, but then it’s our job to sort of tell that story,” says Rocky. By educating customers about the seven or eight whisks a traditional craftsperson makes per day, Rocky’s Matcha transforms a purchase into appreciation for artisanship.
Building community
While authenticity provided the foundation, strategic community building accelerated Rocky’s Matcha’s growth. The brand’s early success came through its partnership with Community Goods, a popular LA café. “When they opened, we happened to be the curators of the matcha program for that café,” Rocky says. “A lot of the searches were’ Community Goods matcha.’”
Aligning with other communities rather than building from scratch can help amplify a brand’s message. By becoming part of Community Goods’ story, Rocky’s Matcha gained access to their customer base and credibility, growing alongside them.
The community-first approach extends to artist collaborations. “I’d love for our business to be a platform for other artists,” Rocky shares.
When Rocky’s Matcha collaborates with ceramicists, for example, both brands benefit from expanded reach and enhanced credibility. “They’ve been able to build a business because we started working with them and then their business has grown because people kind of see what they’re doing for us.”
Standing out through intentional design disruption
In a market dominated by traditional green packaging, Rocky’s Matcha made a bold choice: blue tins. “We leaned into a color that isn’t commonly associated with matcha,” Rocky explains. This strategic disruption was influenced by both Rocky’s and his business partner Max Arkin’s corporate experience.
“We took a lot of like what we learned from the industries that we sort of come from and were able to be maybe a bit more disruptive in an industry that is a bit more traditional.”
The results speak for themselves. “When I look at how we get tagged on Instagram or on TikTok … you see this sort of like collection that somebody’s put together. Our tin stands out.” In an age of social media discovery, visual differentiation isn’t just aesthetic, it’s a competitive advantage.
Beyond visual design, Rocky’s Matcha also disrupts industry norms by collaborating with fashion brands, hosting art fair booths, and catering luxury events. By refusing to stay in the traditional beverage lane, the brand expands its relevance and reach.
Building relationships slowly
Rocky’s Matcha didn’t become an overnight sensation—it built reputation through consistent quality and authentic relationships over time. And some relationships took persistence.
“We reached out to one of the more storied producers … they never replied. And then it wasn’t until like two years later that they replied and they said, ‘Hey, we see what you’re doing.’"
In 2024 the producer’s response included his original email from around 2020. “Persistence and having conviction and what it is that you’re doing, I think is super important.”
Balancing security with growth
For such a successful brand, it may surprise people to learn that Rocky’s Matcha remains technically a side hustle. Rocky maintains a full-time job while building the business, reflecting what he calls “immigrant mentality”—the desire for security his parents instilled in him.
“Some people have gone all the way in and in doing so, they’ve needed to go out and raise money,” Rocky says. “So that’s one way of doing things. And then the other is the way that we’ve done it, which is not paying ourselves, but you know, maintaining this as somewhat of a side hustle.”
The key, he says, is disciplined time management: “Just putting everything in my calendar, having a to-do list on my phone, checking things off.” Rocky even blocks social media during productive hours. “I actually have an app that doesn’t let me go on it between the hours of 10 and 4,” Rocky says.
Rocky’s Matcha’s evolution from beverage brand to cultural platform demonstrates how brands can transcend their original categories. Partnerships with streetwear brand Awake, fashion collaborations with Sacai, and appearances at art fairs position the brand at the intersection of food, fashion, art, and culture. These collaborations reflect the brand’s core identity as a bridge between traditional Japanese craftsmanship and contemporary culture.
Despite the high-profile partnerships and celebrity customers, Rocky remains grounded about the challenges. “The most humbling thing I think about starting this business was me thinking that we would just turn the website on and sales would just start coming in, and that was not the case.”
Even with extensive corporate experience and strong networks, building a brand requires patience, persistence, and continuous learning about unfamiliar disciplines like email marketing, SEO, and social media strategy.
Whether you’re launching a beverage brand, fashion line, or technology product, the principles remain constant: respect your craft, serve your community, and stay true to your vision. Catch Rocky’s full interview on Shopify Masters’ YouTube channel for more matcha stories and incredible business tips.
