HADONG — Green tea from Hadong is drawing attention again in Latin American markets under the name "K-matcha." Caught between Japanese matcha, which dominates the premium segment, and price-competitive Chinese products, Korean powdered green tea chose a strategy built on technology and localization rather than price alone.
The Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (IPET) said on the 14th that K-matcha raw material and processed products reached cumulative exports of $1 million over the project period, after it supported high-quality production technology tailored to Hadong's growing conditions and product development reflecting consumer tastes in Mexico and other Latin American countries. The outcome moved beyond the limits of premium matcha production centered on the first harvest, lifting second- and third-harvest leaves into high-value export material. It is seen as a model of export-oriented agriculture in which a regional farm product gained global competitiveness through technology.
The Hadong Tea & Bio Promotion Agency found its solution through a technology development program for strengthening the competitiveness of export agriculture through international cooperation, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and IPET. It secured high-quality K-matcha production technology suited to Hadong's growing conditions and moved to diversify products in line with consumer demand and export regulations in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.
The results show up in the numbers.
Hadong matcha exports to Latin America rose to 16.70 tons in 2025 from 3.12 tons in 2022, a 5.35-fold increase in four years. Export value over the same period climbed to $347,000 from $51,000, a 6.8-fold gain.
At the core of the achievement was using technology to break through limits on raw material supply. The research team upgraded shading technology, previously applied mainly during the first harvest, into a dual variable shading system. Extending it to the second and third harvests created a framework for stable production of high-quality raw material.
The technical gains fed directly into product development. The team designed raw materials and blending ratios to comply with NOM-051, Mexico's food labeling standard. Along with meeting requirements for local distribution and sales, it developed product lines geared to local tastes.
Those include probiotics made with powdered green tea, plant-based protein powder and inner-beauty green tea products. The items have been commercialized in the local market.
Sales followed. More than 1,000 units were sold through online channels including Amazon Mexico, with a peak ranking of No. 17 in the tea category. The agency also signed a memorandum of understanding with a distributor in Paraguay, laying a foundation for expansion into neighboring Latin American markets.
The significance goes beyond export growth. Second- and third-harvest leaves, which had carried little added value, were converted into high-quality matcha material. That creates a new income source for local farmers and offers South Korea's tea industry a high-value export model.
Kim Jong-chul, the lead researcher and current head of the Hadong Tea & Bio Promotion Agency, said the most urgent task in meeting rising overseas demand was a shortage of raw material supply. "We were able to overcome this problem through advances in variable shading technology and precise growth management," Kim said.
Park Hong-jae, president of IPET, said the research showed how a technical idea from the field could maximize the value of a regional farm product. "We will continue to actively support technology development that strengthens the competitiveness of export agriculture, so that our farm products can raise their added value and secure unrivaled competitiveness in global markets," Park said.