Let us know who you are, your background and how you got connected with Red Bay Coffee?
Hi folks! My name is Kori Saika Chen, I was born and raised in Oakland and I’m the Co-Founder of The Matcha Factory tea company and Alkali Rye Beverage Shop. I met Keba in 2010 and expressed interest in learning more about coffee and food businesses. He was very gracious and generous with his time and eventually hired me as a barista and manager at one of his previous cafes, Chasing Lions Cafe in SF. Then, I hopped over to the Red Bay Coffee corporate side in 2014 and managed operations for the first several years. I’m so grateful for the experience and proud to see how Red Bay has grown and continues to thrive.
How did you get started with matcha, and what inspired you to create The Matcha Factory?
I’m half Chinese and half Japanese American, so I always grew up drinking tea but didn’t have a deep knowledge about it. Around 2017, I started to become more interested in tea as matcha was becoming more popular in the US. I was able to travel to Japan multiple times in 2018 and 2019 and visited and studied tea production at farms there. I met my now business partner, Kunikazu Mochitani, in 2018, and his innovative system of combining solar panel shading structures on organic matcha tea farms in Japan was truly inspiring. I brought his matcha back to Red Bay and all the baristas loved it. We have been serving it at all the Red Bay cafes ever since. Kuni and I formed The Matcha Factory brand and are building a network of young, organic tea farmers in Japan and bringing their teas to the US.
What are other things you are passionate about these days?
I feel really blessed to have had the opportunities to build the businesses I’m a part of, and I am passionate about giving back and serving the community as much as I am able to. I volunteer with some organizations doing great work, and I encourage folks to tap in with other groups or organizations doing positive work around whatever issue or cause y’all are passionate about. It is a really powerful and fulfilling experience to do work collaboratively with others. Even one hour of volunteering at the library or outside at a local park goes a long way.
As a co-founder of Alkali Rye, What have you learned as a small businesses and entrepreneur And what would be your one advice to people who want to start out on their own?
So many lessons. I think it’s okay to dream big, but start small. Try out and experiment with creative ideas as a side hustle while you have a stable day job. Then take those lessons and tap in with a lot of the often free business incubator and accelerator programs that are out there to build your business plans and get mentorship and feedback. Also, get a great bookkeeper and accountant early, it is so important to have help getting your finances in order and really focus on managing cash flow. Last but not least, take care of yourself! Prioritizing getting good sleep, exercise, eating right, and any mental health practices like meditation or therapy if you are able to will all allow you to be more effective in the work you are doing.
Stop by any of our local cafes in the Bay Area and grab a delicious matcha latte made from The Matcha Factory. Order ahead on the Red Bay App.
