Shimizuen Tea Factory

Shimizuen Tea Factory is a long-established tea garden that has continued making Sayama tea in Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture since the mid-Edo period. With the tea processing factory built in 1928, even while mechanizing manufacturing processes that had been done by hand, the commitment to "flavor of Sayama tea" inherited through generations has remained — and tea making has continued to this day.

Today, the family handles everything from tea field cultivation and management to tea processing, packaging design, and sales under one integrated system. The father and husband handle fields and tea processing, while the wife handles SNS and packaging design. Furthermore, with the daughter's illustrations of three beloved cats adopted on the packaging, the brand is growing as a family-built tea brand.

Shimizuen's Sayama tea, in addition to traditional hand-picked sencha, now also features Japanese black tea — which the farm began working on in earnest in 2013 — as a major pillar. Japanese black teas using Saitama Prefecture recommended varieties such as "Yumewakaba," "Fukumidori," "Sayamakaori," and "Tsuyuhikari" have won numerous awards at the Premium Tea Contest, Domestic Black Tea Grand Prix, Japanese Tea AWARD, and the overseas contest "The Leafies" — drawing attention as a new appeal of Sayama tea.

Cherishing fine-grained production possible precisely because of self-garden, self-manufacture, self-sale, Shimizuen Tea Factory faces tea daily with the thought "good tea, both past and present." From a cup at home to gifts, tea time, and moments visiting the production area on a trip — the brand proposes Sayama tea that stays close to various scenes.

A long-established Sayama tea farm continuing since the mid-Edo period

Shimizuen Tea Factory is one of the long-established tea gardens that has continued tea cultivation and manufacturing in Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture since the mid-Edo period. With the tea processing factory built in 1928, while cherishing the techniques of "flavor of Sayama tea" inherited through generations, the 17th generation is currently engaged in tea making.

Hand-picked sencha and Sayama tea delivered through self-garden, self-manufacture, self-sale

Shimizuen's commitment is "self-garden, self-manufacture, self-sale" — the family handles cultivating and managing the tea fields, processing tea at their own factory, and packaging design and sales under one integrated system. In the wide hand-picking tea fields, local pickers carefully pick one bud at a time, and by carefully finishing one drying-furnace at a time, Sayama tea with sweetness and richness is produced.

Saitama Yume Koucha series and numerous award histories

The Japanese black tea "Saitama Yume Koucha" series, made with commitment to Saitama Prefecture recommended varieties, has earned high recognition in Japan and abroad — star ratings at the Premium Tea Contest, Runner-up Grand Prix at the Domestic Black Tea Grand Prix, and awards at the UK's international contest "The Leafies." With a diverse lineup of Japanese black tea, oolong tea, and sencha, the brand proposes new ways to enjoy Sayama tea.