Scene from ITO EN's commercial featuring Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani.
Popular unsweetened green tea brand Oi Ocha launched a new product, LEMON GREEN, in Japan and the United States on September 22. The product is part of the flagship brand of Japanese tea giant ITO EN. At the same time, the company introduced its first-ever Hojicha under the Oi Ocha brand for a limited period.
LEMON GREEN is part of the Oi Ocha PURE series, known for its clean, refreshing taste with reduced bitterness and astringency. The series first debuted in March 2025. The beverage blends cold-brewed green tea leaves with lemon and lemongrass, offering the refreshing aroma of lemon and the mellow sweetness of green tea.
The version sold in the US features a slightly stronger lemon flavor than the domestic Japanese version. Its packaging is prominently labeled "LEMON × GREEN TEA" to emphasize that it is a green tea drink.
Growing Overseas Popularity
Lemon-flavored tea drinks are increasingly popular at overseas tea stands, and ITO EN sees strong business potential. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who stars in the product's commercial, reportedly said, "It should work in the US too."
The suggested retail price in Japan is ¥194 for a 600ml bottle, while in the US, a 500ml bottle sells for around $3.
Sales and Export Growth
According to ITO EN, Japan's green tea exports in 2024 reached a record high of 8,798 tons, 2.5 times higher than in 2014 and a 16.1% increase year-on-year. From May to July 2025, overseas sales of Oi Ocha beverages rose 12% compared to the same period in 2024, while tea bag sales jumped 60%.
ITO EN has set a sales target of 5 million cases for the PURE series in fiscal year 2025, with an early goal of reaching 10 million cases. At a press conference on September 11, the General Manager of the International Business Promotion Division said, "We hope that by expanding flavored green tea sales in the US, more people will be encouraged to drink green tea."
The new hojicha launching in Japan at the same time is Oi Ocha YUZU HOJI, also part of the PURE series. It combines the citrusy aroma of yuzu with the roasted fragrance of hojicha. The suggested retail price is ¥194 for a 600ml PET bottle and ¥345 for a 25g (10-bag) pack of tea bags.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
