Why Justin Bieber & Louis Vuitton Want Rocky’s Matcha

0:00Hey, guess what? Shopify Masters is now on YouTube. So if you want to watch this interview instead of just listen to it, head over to YouTube, search for Shopify Masters. You will not want to miss it. We offered catering services, specifically coffee and matcha in the Louis Vuitton office in Paris.

0:22Hey, everyone. Welcome to Shopify Masters, your companion for starting and building a business. I'm Shuang Esther Shan. What does matcha have to do with fashion, art, or music? Founder Rocky Sioux created a cult favorite LA-based matcha brand that aligns itself with many brands and events outside the beverage industry. We took a lot of like what we learned and were able to be maybe a bit more disruptive. I know that Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are drinking their matchas. Rocky's Matcha found its customers doing pop-ups all across the globe. We have reached out to one of the more storied producers.

1:01Two years later, they replied and they said, hey, we see what you're doing. We invited Rocky here to share how he's built a beverage brand at the intersection of food and culture. Thank you so much for being here, Rocky. Thanks for having me. How did this whole thing all began? To be honest, it was a bit of a happy accident. You know, I'd worked in a corporate environment for basically my entire career. and in the corporate environment like one of my many jobs was to basically try and extend the brand that I worked for early on it was Nike and then more recently it's been with Beats it was always to try and extend the brand beyond you know at Nike it was beyond sport so it was into the world of art and fashion and food and design and you know I met a lot of amazing creators along the way.

1:49And I would say probably in like 2021, 2022, some of my closest friends were like, hey, have you ever thought about doing your own thing? And, you know, the default thing that they wanted me to do was to start an agency that would connect different people because I'd lived in Shanghai, I'd lived in New York, I'd lived in obviously here in Los Angeles. And that was kind of like what people were recommending. And I was just like, I don't know if I want to do that just because like it feels it could feel a little icky if there's like an ulterior motive to connecting people you know like I kind of just like connecting people for the sake of connecting people and then around that same time I had given up uh coffee and I started drinking more tea and specifically matcha and you know a friend of mine Paulo he was getting ready to launch his first flea market and he was like you know I know you've been doing the matcha thing why don't you bring it and serve it at my flea market because like I want people to walk into my flea market as if they're walking into my home.

2:53And he was like, my mom's empanadas are going to be there. We call it Carmen's empanadas. He's like, we have a pizza shop in Osaka. We call it, you know, Henry's Pizza. He's like, why don't you just call your thing Rocky's Matcha and pop up? And so that was kind of like the genesis of it. All over the internet, people have been reviewing Rocky's Matcha and the consensus is that they all love it, which is hard, right? It's a homogeneous product. It's hard to stand out. So how did you go about finding the right taste, the right flavor profiles? I look at like what's going on on like TikTok or like Matcha Talk as they're calling it now and YouTube and, you know, Instagram and all these different like social media platforms right now in terms of like just people going out and buying a ton of matcha to try because they want to, you know find their favorite sort of flavor profile or taste profile or what have you and like I was basically doing my version of that I just wasn't putting it on the internet in 2021 2022 and so as I went out and started doing that and as Japan sort of reopened back to the world in late 2022 I was able to go and meet with different producers and you know get a sense of what was out there, what's available, develop my palette and sort of kind of go from there.

4:11But I would say, you know, a lot of what I'm seeing on the internet now is basically what I did. I just happened to do it a few years, I guess, maybe before this trend and here I am, right? Yeah. Well, you're essentially looking for production partners. And was there a checklist for you to kind of look for when you're looking for the right producer? I mean, we've met like producers, like all sorts of different ways. Like we, and then there's also distributors that we work with that work with producers that we like, that we visited. I don't know that there's necessarily a checklist as much as there is like a Max, my business partner and I, we joke all the time that we just kind of like go off intuition.

4:53And like the name of our holding company as our inside joke is that it's Intuition Corporation, You know, but I mean, I'm just an inside joke, but we've gone out there. I've gone out there, you know, probably 10 plus times now, specifically with the intent to either find matcha or meet with producers or just survey the landscape of what's available. But we've met producers all sorts of different ways. When I was first going out there with the intent to find matcha and specifically find producers, it was a lot of just like knocking on doors, getting connected to people. there is a gentleman who's a Forbes 30 under 30 member in Japan he's a you know tea master youngest tea master in Japan we had gotten connected to him through somebody at Blue Bottle and when I was in Japan he was like hey if you're going to you know Uji I can set you up with somebody and he ended up setting us up with one of the most revered producers in all of Japan And who we kicked off our like sort of like matcha business with.

5:58And to this day, like we still work with them. No set of like actual rigid checklists. It's more just trying to meet people, trying to, you know, get to know them better and get an understanding of what they're about, what their values are, if it kind of aligns with what we're doing. And then we let them know that, you know, we're here to obviously help grow their business. But at the same time, we want to do it in a very respectful manner. And, you know, we want to do it responsibly. It feels like you really know how to make connections. Like even when you were working at Nike, you were connecting the brand beyond sports.

6:34And also, you know, someone who's Forbes top 30, but then connecting you to Blue Bottle. So what's your secret to developing those connections and allow people to be excited, to want to help you out, to make introductions? I would say just being genuine. And, you know, it costs you nothing to be nice. Right. And I feel like I have to now because things have gotten busier, I have to constantly remind myself of that. But just being genuine, being nice and sharing with people that like, even though we might come from different parts of the world that, you know, we share, at least for me right now in my sort of path on this matcha journey, like we share a love or an affinity for tea.

7:15And one of the cool things that I would say is like when I was recently in Japan, we did a pop up and I had straight imposter syndrome. I was like, you know, here I am, Chinese American selling Japanese green tea in Tokyo. Like, is anyone going to come? Is anyone, you know, like, and we were kind of like, we don't know what's going to happen. And I think what was really cool about that experience was more than anything was the fact that like so many people within the tea community in Japan actually came to that pop up and like introduced themselves. And we're like, hey, we've been following what you're doing.

7:51We really like what you're doing. It's so cool that you can pop up here in the heart of Tokyo and, you know, share our product with the world. There's a Chasen, like a whisk maker that we've been working with for a number of years now. we went and visited with them like they traveled all the way from Nara which is probably where the deers are and also good matcha exactly they traveled all the way from Nara to like basically come and visit and then they like were it was so cute they brought like whisk that they were like we we hope that you can use these for the pop-up and so that to me was probably the most meaningful thing was just knowing or learning that people that we respect so much and want to share what they're doing with the world could appreciate what we were trying to do in terms of just dimensionalizing what they do for a living.

8:37Because, you know, tea in Japan, like matcha is, it's one of those things where like the general population in Japan doesn't necessarily consume matcha because it's been used to kind of cater to foreigners. And there's more of it that's being exported than there is being consumed domestically. And so tea as a commodity in Japan is sort of, it's one of those things where like it's lowest common denominator. Like people We're just trying to figure out like what the cheapest version of it is because it's something that you just get when you walk into a restaurant or when you go somewhere. So there's not this prestige that's necessarily put around it at a mass consumption level.

9:12That's not to say that there aren't, you know, amazing tea schools and there's sort of artisans that want to preserve that craft. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying at a mass consumption level, tea is very much a commodity, you know. Yeah. It's also so common, right? Also, like for us, there is this novelty that we embrace with it right now. But I think what you are doing right, and that's why everyone was so excited at that pop-up, is that you truly pay respect to the tea culture in Japan. So I guess like what is your advice there when new founders are approaching an industry? Like how do you make sure you pay respect to where products are coming from?

9:52Shopify is one of the best platforms out there, right? And I'm not just saying this, but like anybody and everybody can basically start a business now because of Shopify. And I think, you know, with that comes a great deal of responsibility as an entrepreneur, because wherever you're getting your product from, capitalism is great. You know, we obviously thrive in this capitalistic society, but at the same time, I think it's just important to like have either, you know, transparency or line of sight into who you work with, how you treat your production partners, producers, supply chain, etc. I think it's one of those things that it's super important.

10:28And for us, when I visited with the Chasin maker in NAR, one of the more profound visits that I've had, they make seven or eight Chasins a day. That's it. They literally only make seven or eight a day. And so I feel honored to be able to tell their story and to give them a platform and to, you know, be able to showcase their product. And sometimes people don't understand why something costs what it does, but then it's our job to sort of tell that story and to go out to these producers and shoot content with them and sort of help storytell what they're doing. Because it's not like, obviously, everybody wants something right away.

11:10I mean, Amazon's made that really accessible, right? You can order today and it's here like within a few hours. But then there's still all these sort of like traditional crafts, whether it's in Japan or China or, you know, other parts of the world that there still should be maybe some light shed on that. And what you're paying for is the craftsmanship and the attention to detail and the hours that that person spent making whatever that object is, as well as just time spent perfecting their craft. Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah. I mean, of course, like those moments where you have at the pop-up was like a great milestone.

11:47But we also have to highlight, you know, at the beginning, you also heard no's when you reach out to suppliers. Yeah. What do you say to people who are like going through that process, trying to look for partners, but they're also facing some rejections? We have reached out to one of the more storied producers when we first started. Just cold, you know, they have a website that's built on Shopify and we just emailed them, cold emailed and was like, hey, like would love to work with you and get an understanding of like, you know, your product offering and this and that. And they're like never replied.

12:19And then it wasn't until like two years later that they replied and they said, hey, we see what you're doing. And I literally could see because his reply had my original email on it. And it said like, you know, I wrote him in 2020 or 2021 or whatever it was. And he replied in 2024, essentially. And so I guess persistence and, you know, having conviction in what it is that you're doing, I think is super important. And if you believe in what you're doing, stay on that path. And, you know, like I think good things will happen. Yeah. Yeah. So you have that initial pop-up experience with your friend in the flea market.

13:01You do start a website. But, you know, things don't just like – people don't just find you. So how do you kind of like build up momentum and get the word out? Yeah, I mean, 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. I'm incredibly lucky to have some of the best friends in the world that have also started amazing businesses. One of my best friends, Pedro, started Community Goods. And so that's arguably the best cafe in Los Angeles. They have two locations right now.

13:38Yeah, I mean, I'm not from L.A., but I know that Justin Bieber and Haley Bieber are drinking their matchas. So I know it's a big deal. Yeah, I mean, listen, Pedro has built an incredible community and he's fortunate enough to call him one of my best friends. And so when he was getting ready to open community goods, it sort of aligned with when we were getting ready to start selling matcha. matcha. And so we had already done a lot of the legwork in terms of trying to figure out, you know, who had the best matcha, which producers, you know, who we would need to get it from in terms of like distributors, et cetera, et cetera.

14:14When they opened, we happened to be, you know, the curators of the matcha program for that cafe. And so I think with a lot of their success came our success because I remember looking into like, where were we getting sort of our traffic from? And a lot of the searches were community goods matcha. And, you know, again, this is where like, I think having a community definitely matters and supporting one another definitely matters. And I would say early on, community goods definitely played a huge role in our success. And then from there, I think we've also done a good job of trying to go above and beyond and educate our community as well as our customers to what we're trying to do, shining a light on the producers that we work with.

14:59People are always asking, hey, what does this color mean or what does that mean? So we put something out that tried to just educate why we have certain color tins for our matcha, what each color tin represents, et cetera. So, yeah, it's probably twofold. And then I think there's amazing tools out there as a founder that I never really knew about, like working in a larger corporation because there's so many different segmented departments that can do certain things. But when you're an entrepreneur and you're starting out and you're bootstrapping your company or, you know, you have a small team, like you don't know that, hey, like you have to think about email marketing.

15:40You have to think about SEO. You have to think about, you know, what's your social media strategy? Are you buying any ads on Google or Meta or, you know, so on and so forth? So, yeah, it's a combination of all of that. You touch on like, you know, the different color tins. They're so eye-catching and they do stand out on socials in real life. What was that thought process like to create the branding and the packaging? So that credit has to go to my business partner, Max, who, you know, probably doesn't want me even talking about him right now because he's very much just like wants to do the work, keep his head down and stay behind the scenes.

16:18But all the credit goes to him. He's an amazing creative. And between him and myself, like we've been able to create something that's that stands out. And, you know, he should get the majority of the credit for that where we leaned into a color that isn't, you know, commonly associated with matcha and that we pick blue. Right. Like and specifically like a darker blue. When I look at how we get tagged on Instagram or on TikTok and there are all these like macho review videos or photos and, you know, like you see this sort of like collection that somebody's put together, our tin stands out. And some of that was definitely by design and by choice.

17:00But I also think we took a lot of 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. And we still want to preserve the quality of everything that we're putting out into the world. But at the same time, we just want to kind of give our twist to it. Yeah, yeah. And I think like the way that you're standing out as well is the fact that you truly highlight artists and you collaborate with them. Why has that been so integral to the brand as well? Max and myself, we both have an affinity and love and appreciation for the arts.

17:41And, you know, we want to shine a light on artists and we want to be able to work with them. And, you know, I think like there's always this idea, at least for me, that, you know, when you collaborate, it's one plus one equals three. One of the things that I said to Max is that like, I'd love for our business to be a platform for other artists. And I think that's kind of been the case with a lot of the ceramicists that we've highlighted, where 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.

18:15And then, you know, they'll click into their website and buy something else that's not a matchable. And I think that's just like, again, like the power of community, the power of working with one another and supporting like minded, you know, folks. But yeah, I also just think it's another way that we've been able to maybe stand out a little bit. Like we have such a tremendous respect for, again, like artisans and traditional craft people in Japan. But, you know, we wanted to just kind of do something that would still be traditional, but also, you know, have a contemporary spin to it. I love that you highlight that because I feel like the way that you structured it is there is, you know, a way for customers to enter at a more like approachable price point.

19:00They can get a matchable, but then you also highlight these truly crafters and artisans, and you'll be able to tell their story and justify why the price point is where it is. So, yeah. You've developed partnerships with stores and cafes in Paris and London and beyond. So how do you go about developing those relationships internationally? A lot of it is just inbound, to be honest. Well, Paris is not. Paris is a relationship that we've had for a number of years now. And the founders of the cafe in Paris and I become really good friends. We talk pretty regularly. That was a relationship that was born out of just me visiting Paris a lot and going to the cafe and being like, this is the best cafe, like such a good vibe and great energy.

19:45and from there we did a pop-up there like probably three summers ago and then from that we've just kind of started to you know keep working together and then more recently I was just telling one of your producers we offered catering services specifically coffee and matcha and pastries in the Louis Vuitton office in Paris this past men's men's fashion week so that was pretty that was pretty cool and again like we get to work with with our friends but a lot of it is yeah is organic and blessed to have relationships with amazing people that have amazing businesses that deserve all the credit. So a part of the growth is also you collaborating with people outside of the food and beverage space.

20:26So why is working with artists, musicians, festivals so important? Yeah. I mean, again, like Max, my business partner and I, we have a number of different things that we're into. He's like a creative by trade. I've always sort of worked with creatives and we just want to tell great stories and, you know, work with like-minded folks. And through that and through a lot of the people that I've met over the years, we've been able to work with these brands that have kind of like outreach to us to be like, hey, like, you know, we're doing X, Y, and Z. Would you guys want to be a part of it? I mean, a lot of it is inbound and a lot of it is, again, like I feel like I keep saying this, but a lot of it is the community that, you know, we have that continuously want to support us, whether it's, you know, our friends at Ghetto Gastro and Courage Bagels wanting to do something together, or we have a matcha bar inside of the Awake store in New York.

21:24They're a streetwear brand founded by Angelo Backe. We have a really, really, really good relationship with the Japanese brand Sakai. They are maybe some of our best partners. We've done things with them to help celebrate the launch of various capsule collections. They did something here in Los Angeles last year at Dover Street Market. So we essentially catered that event. But at the same time, when we did our pop-up in Tokyo that I was telling you about, they actually created, you know, a mini capsule collection for us. You know, they did a hoodie and a t-shirt and I was blown away. Day one, there were people lining up like wanting to buy And I think that's just the power of, you know, Sakai as a brand.

22:02Again, I just feel blessed that these amazing brands want to continue to, you know, work with us and shine a light on, you know, what it is that we're trying to do. It's one thing to have those like reach outs, those relationships start. But what's your advice when you're like actually executing to make sure the partners enjoy what you do and they kind of come back for more as well? I think like following through on whatever it is that you say that you're going to set out to do is obviously important. I think, you know, whenever we pop up, we always try and like blast it out to our email list or post it on our Instagram or, you know, what have you.

22:39And then in addition to that, if the event warrants it or if the pop up warrants it, we'll also try and like capture content from it. And then we try and reshare that. And I think doing that showed a lot of the partners that we worked with that, I mean, obviously we want to make money, but at the same time, like, it's not the only thing, right? And I think going about it in a certain way and being more diligent and not taking any shortcuts and spending the money on having really good content capture and storytelling really does help push the business forward. Because people will see it and people will share it and then they'll be like, okay, cool.

23:15I'm going to pay attention. When's the next one that's happening? And also, I think just consistency. We just did our third Felix Art Fair, but Felix Art Fair is one of the art fairs that takes place in Los Angeles. And, you know, we've been there three years in a row and we keep getting invited back because I think like now all of the attendees, all of the galleries that show there, like they know like where we are. And it's like, OK, cool. Like I'm going to go get an Uncle Pauly sandwich and I'm going to go get a Rocky's matcha. And like they're right there in the courtyard by the pool. Yeah.

23:46Amazing. You have done so much, which I think would be surprising for our audience to know is that this is still technically a side hustle. How do you like time manage to make sure you're able to run everything? one I think having an incredible team we have you know the best I think like the best team that have been willing to kind of just step in and and do what it takes Max I mentioned my business partner he's the best like we talk every day and I mean it's never like nothing's ever ever feels like we're pulling teeth out of anything right like it's just very like even killed and you know I think surrounding yourself with like-minded people that are all marching towards the same goal really helps and then in addition to that I think for me at least just like putting everything in my calendar having a to-do list on my phone checking things off as you know as things get done one of the more recent things that I started doing was like I block Instagram and Twitter like I actually have an app that doesn't let me go on it between the hours of 10 and 4, 10 a.m.

24:54and 4 p.m. And now I find myself like not doomsday scrolling, not like, but I'm probably more productive. And then the last thing I would say is just like trying to get more sleep. Like everybody says it, but like it really does make a difference. And so just making myself go to bed earlier and waking up earlier. And I feel like there's also the other side of like running a side hustle is that, you know, I think a lot of entrepreneurship go through this where having something that's like secure, having something that is a safety nut is important. How are you thinking about that philosophically right now?

25:29Yeah. Listen, my parents immigrated to the U.S. when I was a baby. And I'm so appreciative of the fact that like, you know, they basically helped me get where I'm at right now. Oftentimes, like when I go back and visit them in China, I reflect on the fact that like life could have been a lot different had I not had the chance or had my dad not immigrated, you know, first and then brought my mom and then brought me. I say that because I think like the immigrant mentality is like, you know, you go, or at least my parents' version of it was like, you go, you get really good grades in school, you study hard, you graduate college, maybe you go and get a master's or, you know, you go to med school or law school or dental school or whatever it is and you get a secure a job and, you know, you kind of like climb the corporate ladder or you do whatever it is that you need to do.

26:21And, you know, then you start your family. Right. And so that isn't lost on me. And I think that's like one of the things, maybe it's this mental hurdle that I would need to get over at some point in order to kind of like take that leap of faith to go full time. But everybody's on a different path. And I think everybody can do things a different way. I talk about this with a lot of my founder friends. And some people have gone all the way in and in doing so they've needed to go out and raise money. So that's one way of doing things. Right. And then the other is, I guess, the way that we've done it, which is not paying ourselves, but, you know, maintaining this as somewhat of a side hustle that then becomes, you know, your full time thing because you've been able to kind of like build it.

27:02if you're going to work nine to five, then, you know, this becomes a five to nine or a nine to five the other hours a day or, you know, whatever it is. So, yeah, I don't think there's any like right or wrong answer. I think it's just like staying committed to whatever it is that you want to be building. Yeah. And I feel like your story, especially right now, is like so valuable to highlight because I feel like we need to highlight more realistic entrepreneurial journeys. And I I think doing what's comfortable for you, doing what's sustainable for you, it's so important. Yeah. And again, I think, you know, how I got to where I am today is probably going to be very different than, you know, some of the other founders that have probably sat here in this chair.

27:45And there's no right or wrong answer. I think like everybody's journey is going to be different. I have to constantly remind myself that this is not it's not a competition. Like you're not competing with anybody. you might think that you are, but like in reality, like we're on our own journey and we're all trying to like just figure out what it is that we want. Like some people want to make a ton of money. Like other people just want to be able to tell amazing stories. Other people just want to sell whatever it is that they're, you know, selling because they're making it and they have a deep passion for it, you know, or it could be a mix of all those things.