“Japanese Tea Enriches People’s Hearts and Minds” – From Osumi to the World
Kagoshima Horiguchi Seicha Co., Ltd. traces its origins back 75 years to the post-war era, when our predecessors began cultivating black tea in Shibushi City on the Osumi Peninsula. Today, we are a company dedicated to the comprehensive production, processing, and sales of Japanese tea—including deep-steamed tea, sencha, matcha, hojicha, and Japanese black tea—handling every step from tea leaf cultivation to distribution.
“Good tea comes from a healthy environment.”
With this belief as our guiding principle, we established sustainable cultivation methods that do not overly depend on chemical pesticides, long before environmental conservation and organic farming became widespread concerns. Through continuous trial and improvement, we have expanded our operations to achieve global competitiveness. Today, we manage a total of 300 hectares of tea plantations, including both our own and those of our affiliated farms.
The Japanese tea industry is currently facing various challenges, and our company is no exception. To reverse this trend, we believe it is essential to create an environment where tea farmers can sustainably operate their businesses. One promising solution lies in the growing export market for Japanese tea.
While the current international market is primarily focused on matcha and other well-known Japanese teas, our next step is to expand awareness of Japanese black tea and establish a new market for it. Our Japanese black tea features a unique sweetness and aroma and has been highly recognized within the food industry, winning multiple prestigious awards. In addition, we have established a production system that ensures both high quality and scalability, making this the perfect time to introduce our tea to the global market.
Guided by the belief passed down from our predecessors that “Japanese tea enriches people’s hearts,” we are committed to sharing this tradition with people around the world, bringing the richness of Japanese tea to their daily lives.
| Company Name | Kagoshima Horiguchi Seicha Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Location | 758 Yomogihara, Ariake-cho, Shibushi-city, Kagoshima, Japan |
| Representative | Daisuke Horiguchi, Representative Director |
| Telephone number | 099-475-0931 (main) 099-471-5230 (common for T-Dome/TeaPOLE) |
| Fax No. | 099-475-1976 099-471-5220 (common for T-Dome/TeaPOLE) |
| Tea plantation area | 300 hectares (120 hectares of company-owned tea plantations and 180 hectares of affiliated tea plantations) |
| In-House Factories | T-Dome (Sencha Plant), TeaPOLE (Tencha Plant), Finishing Plant |
| Retail stores | WAKOEN (2 Ariake stores, 1 Shibushi store, 1 Kanoya store, 1 Izumi store) 5 stores |
| Certifications |
FSSC22000 (Sencha Plant, Tencha Plant, Finishing & Packaging Plant) ASIAGAP Rainforest Alliance Organic JAS Certification |
Kagoshima Horiguchi Seicha / WAKOEN Award-winning teas Chronology
[2016
Japanese Tea AWARD 2016 Jury’s Special Prize (Powdered Tea Category) Arabiki Cha Koku
[2018
Japan Tea AWARD 2018 Platinum Award in the Deep Steamed Tea (Uncovered) Category, Ohsumi Fukamushicha Sesamidori 2017
Japan Tea AWARD 2018 Jury’s Encouragement Award in the mizudashi tea category Ohsumi Oolong Black Tea (Second Flush 2017)
2019]
Japanese Tea AWARD 2019 Platinum Award Winner in the Ordinary Sencha (Roji) Category – Kiokon (Roji) Kyoku
Japanese Tea AWARD 2019 Platinum Award in the Deep Steamed Sencha (Roji) category, Roji Sae Midori (Shin)
Winner of the Japanese Tea AWARD 2019 Fine Product Award in the Mizudashi Tea category Ohsumi Oolong Black Tea
2020]
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2020 (France) Silver Prize, Ordinary Steamed Sencha category, Ordinary Sencha Saemidori.
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2020 (France) Bronze Prize, Jade Green Tea category, Kama-firi-cha Okumidori.
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2020 (France) Bronze Prize, Other category, TEAET Flavored Green Tea [Osumi Yuzu]
Great Taste 2021
Great Taste 2021 (U.K.) 3 Star Highest Gold Award – Kama-Yori Cha Okumidori
Great Taste 2021 (UK) 2 Star Highest Gold Award Asatsuyu Fukamushicha
Great Taste 2021 (UK) 1 Star Awarded, Hazelnut Tea
Great Taste 2021 (UK) 1 Star Award TEAET Flavoured Green Tea [Osumi Yuzu]
Japan Green Tea AWARD2021, Sencha Tea Bags Category, Fine Product Award, Warm Warm Green Tea Koku
Japan Green Tea AWARD2021, Jury’s Encouragement Award, Deep Steamed Sencha Category, Green Tea Legend, Koku
3rd prize at the 75th National Tea Fair (held in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture), 42/103rd place
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2021 (France) Gold Prize, Deep Steamed Sencha Category: Deep Steamed Sencha “Asatsuyu”.
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2021 (France) Silver Prize, Ordinary Steamed Sencha Category: Ordinary Sencha Saemidori.
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2021 (France) Silver Prize, Other category, Houjicha Koku.
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2021 (France) Other category, Bronze Osumi Oolong Tea
2022]
The 76th National Tea Fair (held in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture): 3rd prize, 31/101st place
Great Taste 2022 (UK) 1 star winner – Green Tea Legend – Masa
Great Taste 2022 (UK) 1 Star Winner – Kakuhori Oka Midori Kama-yori
Great Taste 2022 (UK) 1 Star Black Tea Bag
Great Taste 2022 (UK) 1 star Houjicha Powder
Great Taste 2022 (UK) 2 Star Winner – Warm Warming Tea Powder
THE LEAFIES 2022 (UK) Black tea unscented category (China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan) Excellence Award: Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuki
Premium Tea Contest 2022″ Japanese black tea category ★★★★ Premium Tea Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuki
Japan Tea AWARD2022 – Platinum Award, Black Tea Category – Kakuhori Kocha Benifuuki
Japan Tea AWARD2022 Black Tea Category Platinum Award, Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuuki
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2022 (France), Bronze Prize, ordinary steamed category, Kakuhori, ordinary sencha, Sedemidori.
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2022 (France), Regular Sencha category, Bronze Prize, Green Tea Legend [Goku].
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2022 (France), Free category, Silver Prize: Kakuhori Oolong Tea Benifuki.
Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2022 (France), Free category, Gold Prize, Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuuki.
Great Taste 2023
Great Taste 2023 (UK) 1 star winner, Green Tea Legend: Kaoru
Great Taste 2023 (UK) 1 star winner – Green Tea Legend – Masa
Great Taste 2023 (UK) 1 Star Winner TEAET Oolong Black Tea Osumi Ginger
Great Taste 2023 (UK) 2 star winner – The Legend of Green Tea – Goku
Great Taste 2023 (UK) 2 Star Winner Kakuhori Yutaka Midori Deep Steamed Sencha
77th National Tea Fair (held in Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Pref., etc.), out of grade, ordinary sencha 10kg, 50/104th place
The Leafies 2023 (U.K.) Gold Prize in Japanese black tea category, Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuki
Japan Tea AWARD2023, Black Tea category, Platinum Award (2 years in a row), Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuki.
Japan Tea AWARD2023 Fine Product Award, Deep Steamed Sencha category, Green Tea Legend, Koku
GREAT TASTE 2024 (U.K.)
GREAT TASTE 2024 (UK) 3 stars Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuuki
GREAT TASTE 2024 (UK) 1 Star Awarded, Genmaicha (Genmaicha), Black tea.
GREAT TASTE 2024 (UK) 1 star Green Tea Legend Takumi
THE LEAFIES 2024 (UK) Highly Commended (Award of Excellence) Kakuhori Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuki
Japan Tea AWARD 2024, Black Tea category, Platinum Award, Kakuhori Black Tea Benifuki [Winner for 3 consecutive years].
Japanese Tea AWARD 2024, Houjicha category, Fine Product Award, Refreshingly Sweet Roasted Benihuuki Black Tea.
Japan Tea AWARD 2024, Oolong Tea category, Jury’s Encouragement Award, Kakuhori Oolong Tea Benifuki.
Reference] Domestic Black Tea Grand Prix 2024 (First time exhibited) No award
Premium Tea Contest ★★★ Premium Tea Refreshingly sweet roasted Benihana
Results of the 78th National Tea Fair (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture): out of grade, ordinary sencha 10 kg, 49th/103rd place.
2025]
INACOME Business Contest 2024, Idea Category, Excellence Award, NTT Agri-Technology Award
Capsule Tea Project – Redefining the Future of Japanese Tea Globally
Update: March 26, 2024