Cafe & Coffee Show 2026 Recap: Sharing Shiro Matcha with Australian Cafes

A few days in Sydney, countless conversations, and one clear feeling that stayed with me: Australian cafes are ready to explore Japanese matcha in a bigger way.

At Cafe & Coffee Show 2026, I had the opportunity to stand at the Shiro Matcha booth and introduce our matcha to cafe owners, baristas, buyers, distributors, and hospitality professionals from across Australia.

For me, it was more than just an exhibition.

It was a chance to see, in person, how Japanese matcha is being understood, questioned, and welcomed within the Australian cafe scene.

Cafe & Coffee Show 2026

Cafe & Coffee Show 2026 was a B2B trade event for the cafe, coffee, bakery, and hospitality industries, held at ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre.

The event brought together a wide range of people from the industry, including cafe owners, baristas, roasters, buyers, distributors, and hospitality professionals.

While coffee was at the centre of the show, the event also featured specialty drinks, cafe food, packaging, equipment, and products designed for hospitality businesses.

For Shiro Matcha, it was an important opportunity to introduce Japanese matcha directly to cafes, restaurants, and potential wholesale partners across Australia.

Why We Exhibited

The purpose of exhibiting was to share the appeal and practical use of Japanese matcha with Australian cafes and hospitality businesses.

For many cafes, matcha is no longer just a niche product. It is becoming a menu item that customers actively look for, whether in the form of matcha lattes, iced drinks, desserts, bakery items, or seasonal drinks.

Through the exhibition, we wanted to show that Shiro Matcha is not only about quality Japanese matcha, but also about how easily it can be used in a real cafe environment.

During the show, many visitors asked about drinks, desserts, wholesale options, 1kg orders, samples, pricing, and supply consistency.

For cafes and hospitality businesses looking for Japanese matcha wholesale in Australia, Shiro Matcha aims to offer a product that is easy to introduce into existing menus while still carrying the colour, flavour, and character of Japanese matcha.

What I Saw at the Booth

One of the most exciting parts of the show was seeing how people responded when they stopped by the Shiro Matcha booth.

Throughout the event, I spoke with cafe owners, baristas, distributors, and hospitality businesses who were curious about how matcha could fit into their menu.

Some were already serving matcha and wanted to improve the quality of what they were using. Others were new to matcha and wanted to understand which grade would work best for lattes or iced drinks.

Some of the most common questions I got asked:

• Which matcha is best for lattes?
• Can I order in 1kg quantities?
• How much matcha should I use per drink?
• What is the difference between the grades?
• How does the colour and flavour compare?
• Do you offer wholesale pricing or samples?

One thing that really stood out to me was that almost everyone already knew what matcha was.

We were not starting from zero.

Rather than introducing matcha as something completely unfamiliar, many of the conversations were with people who were already using matcha in some way. What they were looking for was not simply the cheapest option, but a better quality matcha that could improve the colour, flavour, and overall experience of their menu.

That was something I personally found very encouraging.

In the past, matcha decisions often seemed to be driven mainly by price. But at Cafe & Coffee Show 2026, I felt a clear shift. More businesses were thinking about quality, consistency, and how matcha could be served properly as part of their cafe offering.

It made me feel that matcha has truly started to become part of Australian cafe culture.

It is no longer something unfamiliar or niche. It is becoming something customers expect to see, and something cafes are actively trying to do better.

For me, this was one of the strongest signs that there is real demand for Japanese matcha in Australia.

People were not only curious about matcha as a trend. They were asking practical questions about how to use it, how to serve it, and how to make it work in their business.

Standing at the booth and hearing those questions directly made me feel that there is a real opportunity for Shiro Matcha to grow within the Australian cafe and hospitality market.

Why Matcha Fits Australian Cafes Now

Australia has a strong cafe culture, but it is no longer only about coffee. Customers are increasingly open to specialty drinks and new flavour experiences.

Matcha fits naturally into this shift.

It can be served hot or iced. It can be used in lattes, smoothies, desserts, cookies, cakes, soft serve, and bakery items. It also gives cafes a way to offer something thoughtful and different without moving too far away from familiar cafe formats.

For many customers, matcha can become a new ritual on the cafe menu.

A matcha latte before work. An iced matcha in the afternoon. A dessert made with Japanese matcha.

These small moments are where matcha becomes part of daily life.

This is the kind of experience I hope Shiro Matcha can help create in Australia.

What Shiro Matcha Values

Shiro Matcha is not just about selling matcha powder.

What matters is how the matcha is experienced once it reaches a cafe, restaurant, or customer.

From my perspective, I want Shiro Matcha to be something that is practical for hospitality teams to use, consistent enough to serve every day, and meaningful enough to create a memorable drink or dessert.

For cafe owners and hospitality businesses, the key points are quality, colour, flavour, usability, and stable supply.

It is important that matcha can be introduced into a menu in a way that feels achievable. That is why conversations around recipes, drink applications, menu ideas, and product selection are just as important as the matcha itself.

For cafes and hospitality businesses interested in working with Shiro Matcha, the wholesale range is available here: Our WHOLESALE page

At the same time, Shiro Matcha is connected to a quieter idea: the moment of pause that comes with one cup.

Even in a busy trade show filled with conversations, samples, business cards, and new ideas, I kept coming back to that simple idea.

Matcha is not only a product on a menu. It can become a small moment for someone to stop, reset, and return to themselves.

What Comes Next

After Cafe & Coffee Show 2026, the next step is to continue the conversations that started in Sydney.

We will be following up with cafes, hospitality businesses, and potential wholesale partners who showed interest in Shiro Matcha. This includes sharing product information, discussing wholesale options, arranging samples where appropriate, and exploring how Shiro Matcha could fit into different cafe menus.

The show gave me a clearer sense of how much potential there is for Japanese matcha in the Australian cafe scene.

It also showed me that cafes are not only looking for something new, but for something they can use with confidence.

I am grateful for everyone who stopped by the booth, asked questions, tasted Shiro Matcha, and shared their thoughts with us.

Cafe & Coffee Show 2026 was just one event, but to me, it felt like the beginning of many new conversations.

From a busy exhibition floor in Sydney to a quiet cup of matcha in a cafe, I hope Shiro Matcha can continue to bring Japanese matcha into everyday moments across Australia.

Make matcha part of your life.