New Kirkgate Market matcha shop Matchara aims to attract younger customers to iconic Leeds market
Matchara had to close on Monday and Tuesday this week while it waited for a new delivery of matcha powder
Matchara, which has opened inside Kirkgate Market, welcomed customers for the first time last week.
The green drink has soared in popularity in recent years, increasingly appearing on menus across Leeds.
Matchara is the latest business to buck the trend, bringing a dedicated matcha offering to one of the city’s best-known markets.
Co-founder Shweiyi Tun described their first week as “really, really busy”, stating that the business had not expected the crowds it received, and as a result ran out of matcha powder.
The shortage meant Matchara had to close on Monday and Tuesday this week while it waited for a new delivery.
Shweiyi said the matcha powder was delivered from Japan yesterday, allowing the business to reopen today.
She decided to open her own matcha business after making the drink at home for several years.
“It is my passion and my hobby. I’ve loved to make matcha at home for many years so I thought why not make it for customers too,” she told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
The new business has joined a growing number of matcha spots across Leeds, with Shweiyi saying she wanted to offer customers high-quality drinks at an affordable price.
“Matcha has gotten really popular recently, but there are also many matcha shops out there so I wanted to make this one stand out from the crowd,” she said.
She chose Kirkgate Market as the location for the café because of its history and popularity, describing it as an “iconic” Leeds landmark.
Shweiyi is hopeful to attract younger customers to both Matchara and the market itself.
“I think it’s important to attract the younger generation into Kirkgate Market because when I was doing my research I didn’t see any matcha cafés, so I thought the location would be good to attract younger customers” she told the YEP.
She added that she is looking forward to welcoming new customers and receiving their feedback.
Matchara is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and is located in Unit 19 at the market.