Junbi

Junbi, also known as Junbi Matcha & Tea, is a café chain centered on matcha-based beverages. The business is based in California and previously operated under the name Sip Matcha. Its name comes from the Japanese word “junbi,” meaning “preparation,” reflecting the brand’s tea-focused identity and preparation-oriented concept. The chain’s menu includes matcha drinks combined with fruit and other flavor components. Reference material identifies Strawberry Matcha and Yuzu Dragon Fruit Matcha among its offerings, indicating a positioning built around flavored and visually distinctive matcha beverages rather than a conventional coffee-led café menu. The available information does not establish a broader product portfolio, formal founding date, ownership structure, or corporate parent. Junbi has operated locations in several California communities, including Livermore, Mountain View, and San Francisco. Its footprint also includes locations in Portland, Oregon; Princeton, New Jersey; and Richardson, Texas. In Hawaii, the franchise operation has been associated with investors David So and Joe Jitsukawa together with Hawaii resident Greg Kobashigawa. The brand began operating at Seattle’s Melrose Market in 2025, extending its presence into Washington state. The company’s documented operating model therefore combines company or brand locations with franchise activity. Publicly available reference material is limited and does not provide reliable details about store counts, revenue, financing, executive leadership, supply arrangements, or a formal expansion strategy. Junbi is best characterized as a regional specialty beverage and café brand whose principal differentiation is its emphasis on matcha and tea drinks.

Junbi is a specialty café chain associated with matcha and tea beverages in the United States. The brand previously operated as Sip Matcha before adopting the Junbi name. “Junbi” is described as a Japanese term meaning “preparation,” giving the business a name tied to the preparation of tea and other drinks. The publicly documented history of the company is limited. No reliable founding year, founder, original launch location, or ownership chronology is identified in the available reference material. The brand is based in California and has operated cafés in Livermore, Mountain View, and San Francisco. These California locations form the clearest geographic foundation of the chain. Junbi’s menu is built around matcha drinks. Two specifically identified offerings are Strawberry Matcha and Yuzu Dragon Fruit Matcha. These products combine matcha with fruit flavors and show the brand’s emphasis on specialty, flavored beverages. The available sources do not provide a complete menu, details about ingredients or sourcing, store design, pricing, packaged products, or food offerings. The company has also developed beyond California through additional locations in Portland, Oregon; Princeton, New Jersey; and Richardson, Texas. Hawaii operations have been associated with a franchise group led by investors David So and Joe Jitsukawa, alongside Hawaii resident Greg Kobashigawa. The available material does not state when the Hawaii franchise began or identify the full legal structure of that operation. In 2025, Junbi began operating at Seattle’s Melrose Market. This marked a further geographic extension into the Pacific Northwest. Overall, the available history portrays Junbi as an expanding, multi-state matcha café concept using a combination of brand-operated and franchise locations. Public references do not substantiate claims about revenue, investment, store totals, senior management, corporate ownership, or major marketing campaigns. Those areas remain undocumented in this dossier.

• 2025

  Seattle expansion

  [1]Junbien.wikipedia.org

  Junbi began operating at Melrose Market in Seattle, Washington.

• The business previously operated as Sip Matcha

  [1]Junbien.wikipedia.org

  Junbi’s earlier operating name was Sip Matcha before the business became known as Junbi or Junbi Matcha & Tea.

• Expansion beyond California

  [1]Junbien.wikipedia.org

  The brand operated locations in Portland, Princeton, and Richardson, and developed a franchise presence in Hawaii.

A specialty café brand focused on matcha and tea beverages, including fruit-forward matcha combinations.

• Matcha beverage

  Strawberry Matcha

  A matcha drink featuring strawberry flavoring or fruit components. It is one of the specifically identified beverages associated with Junbi’s fruit-oriented matcha menu.

• Matcha beverage

  Yuzu Dragon Fruit Matcha

  A matcha beverage combining yuzu and dragon fruit flavor profiles. The drink illustrates Junbi’s focus on distinctive fruit combinations within a tea-centered café format.

1. 1Junbien.wikipedia.org