In a city buzzing with trendy drinks, Rocky Xu, founder of Rocky’s Matcha, is an example of taking a curiosity and affinity for culture and turning it into a successful business. Xu’s brand is known for being present at the most aspirational arts and culture events worldwide, even though it’s just his side hustle.
Why it matters: Matcha is growing in popularity in L.A. and Rocky’s Matcha has a presence at some of the most popular and critically acclaimed cafes and restaurants in the city (Sqirl, Jon and Vinnys, Courage Bagels, etc). Their support is elevating the brand to one of L.A.’s favorite and most trending matchas, even if most customers don’t know it by name.
Why now: Rocky’s is expanding into more restaurants and cafes and popping up at more events around the world. If you don’t know the brand yet, you probably will very soon.
In 2020, Rocky Xu was feeling lost. The now 37-year-old who works in brand partnerships at Beats By Dre visited a shaman in Topanga hoping to clear his head and feel less stuck.
The shaman put him on a strict 21-day regime known as a chakra cleanse; no alcohol, no tobacco, no sex. But as Xu was leaving, the shaman asked one final question. Did he drink coffee? That would have to stop. Drink tea instead, the shaman said. Not just for the cleanse, but forever.
This was how Xu ended up going down a wormhole that would lead him to found his brand, Rocky’s Matcha.
How the matcha gets made
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Courtesy of Rocky's Matcha
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In Los Angeles, matcha appears on nearly every menu, from Starbucks to hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pops to the Instagrammable Cha Cha Matcha (with locations in Venice, Century City, and West Hollywood). But once Xu was off coffee, he found the matcha offerings to be lackluster.
With a personal investment of $3,500, he began researching matcha suppliers with a premium product without fillers and added sugar. Like many coffee brands, he says many ceremonial grades (the highest quality) matcha come from the same distributors in Japan and is white-labeled by brands.
Rocky Xu, works at Beats By Dre during the day but recently founded the popular matcha brand that can be found in cafes across Los Angeles.
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Courtesy of Rocky's Matcha
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He says his brand currently works with a number of partners and producers, from companies in the US with ties to Japan, distributors in Japan, and directly with Japanese farmers.
While taste testing dozens of options, Xu focused on finding a product that paired well with the consumption preferences of his audience, in a latte with alternative nut milk, not purists mixing with water (his go-to).
The brand served matcha at a friend's vintage flea market in L.A. in 2022. Since then, calling Rocky’s Matcha a “traveling tea house.” Xu has popped up everywhere from the art fair Felix at the Roosevelt Hotel to Paris Fashion Week and the Milan Design Week — aspirational arts and culture events that align with Xu’s interests.
A recent Rocky's Matcha pop-up for the street wear clothing brand, Stone Island, at their store in Los Angeles
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Rodrigo Ramriez
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Courtesy Rocky's Matcha
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In Los Angeles, Rocky’s Matcha is served at high-end food emporiums across town: Sqirl, Community Goods, Jon and Vinnys, Courage Bagels, Cookbook Market, Cafe Telegrama, Sua Superette, and the cafeteria within the CAA office. Tins are available for purchase online where 20 grams of ceremonial grade matcha goes for $28.
Los Angeles based nail artist Candace Kim is an ardent fan. “I'd slot Rocky's just below Ippodo [another Japanese tea brand] which I drink at home. It’s smooth with just the right amount of umami. It's like gateway matcha for new matcha drinkers, not bitter, not grassy, and never grainy,” she said.
Publicist Stephanie Goch calls it “strong and well balanced,” and multidisciplinary artist Rivkah Reyes says that while they often grab a Rocky’s Matcha latte, they prefer the sweeter Cha Cha Matcha.
Xu declined to disclose numbers, but says the brand is profitable. He took additional investment from family, and since growing, he's brought in a minority partner, hired several part-time employees and has offloaded e-commerce to a warehouse.
What he will say is “at first, we got one order [of matcha from the online store] every few days. Now we get 20 to 30 per day.”
He has more pop-ups in the works around the world, but he isn’t ready to leave his 9-to-5 just yet. The current set up allows Xu to be picky and avoid shortcuts for profit.
“I take a lot of vacation days to work on this…but I’ve always had health insurance,” Xu said.
