A century of walking with our farmers.
Founded in Kakegawa in 1921, Sasaki Seicha was built on a single premise: make tea together with the growers of the region. In 2026 the company marks its 105th year. Across five generations the business has changed with the times, but that founding idea — create value together with the farmers — has never wavered. Sasaki Seicha USA is the group's North American subsidiary.
Years of craft, 1921–2026
Generations of the Sasaki family
Named tea gardens under management
From a Single Farm
A cooperative founded together with local growers.
- 1921
Heikichi Sasaki begins cultivating and processing tea from his own garden in Kakegawa.
- 1943
Amid wartime shortages, Heikichi and 150 growers of the Kamiuchida district establish the Kanejo Tea Manufacturing Cooperative to keep the tea industry alive.
Every lot begins in the hands of our growers — carefully inspected the moment it arrives from the field.
Vertical Integration Begins
Growing, refining, and selling brought under one group.
- 1946
Teiji, Heikichi's eldest son, founds Sasaki Shoten with a refining factory and sales arm — the start of the Kanejo Group's integrated production-and-sales model.
- 1950
The cooperative evolves into Ogasa Seicha Co., Ltd., formed with 155 member farms.
- 1954
Sasaki Shoten is reorganized as Sasaki Seicha Co., Ltd.
- 1968
A tea-garden competition is launched to raise cultivation standards through soil analysis and garden management review; a compost association begins soil building with organic matter.
- 1975
The Kanejo Kai is formed with long-standing specialty tea retailers, linking producing region and consuming market through ongoing training.
- 1988
Signboards naming the manager of each of 900+ tea gardens are installed — Shizuoka's first garden-nameplate management system, securing consistent high-quality leaf supply.
- 1989
A purification system removing over 99.9% of impurities from steaming-boiler water is installed.
- 1993
An in-house laboratory opens for product and raw-material analysis and new product development.
- 2000
Both Ogasa Seicha and Sasaki Seicha achieve ISO 9001 certification.
- 2003
Traceability — full production-history record keeping — begins.
The same hands-on finishing craft that defined our first century still shapes every lot today.
Beverage, Export, and Retail
Diversifying toward a sustainable tea business.
- 2007
Organic JAS certification obtained.
- 2010
Fukamushi sencha "Kagoyose" becomes the first Japanese tea to receive 3 Stars from the International Taste Institute.
- 2012
Ogasa Seicha is renamed Kakegawa Chuo Chagyo; FSSC 22000 certification obtained; Sri Lankan black tea master Ananda Fernando is invited to help launch Kakegawa-grown wakoucha production.
- 2014
Kakegawa Chuo Chagyo obtains JGAP and begins tencha (matcha leaf) production.
- 2016
Tea Farm Japan Inc. is established in Kisarazu, Chiba, strengthening wholesale and retail.
- 2018
Daisuke Uno wins the Shizuoka aracha finishing skills competition; the matcha grinding factory is completed.
- 2020
First place, National Aracha Competition (Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award) and the Emperor's Cup at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Festival.
- 2021
Shop & café "Chanoniwa" opens, along with the Chanoniwa strawberry farm.
- 2025
Daisuke Uno wins the Shizuoka finishing skills competition a second time.
- 2026
Chanoniwa Tokyo opens in Roppongi Hills — the brand's first Kanto location. Sasaki Seicha USA is established to serve North America.