Although Northeast Oregon may seem an unlikely location for a tea company, Wallowa County-based Sei Mee Tea has established a solid domestic and international presence, with new products and local processing due to be launched this year.

Owners Kiyomi Koike and Bill Oliver founded Sei Mee Tea (pronounced Say Me Tea) in 2004, and specialize in ground green Japanese tea, with additional offerings including a brown rice coffee substitute, decaffeinated tea, and related

tea accessories and health

products.

Their upcoming line of teas will include blends sourced from additional regions, including China and South America.

“We’re creating unique teas that blend tastes from many countries,” said Koike. “We’re working to create healthy, delicious, convenient teas that people haven’t experienced before. These small happinesses in daily life make a difference.”

Still relatively small in terms of tea importers, Sei Mee Tea currently purchases just more than 1,000 pounds of tea per year which, according to Oliver, translates into approximately 2 million cups of

tea.

Koike is introducing white tea, Sansho, acai and mango flavors to the lineup, all of which tout anti-inflammatory, digestive and antioxidant benefits.

Sei Mee Tea’s signature product, Edible Green, is a very finely powdered whole-leaf Sencha tea designed to be mixed directly into hot water, versus brewing in it.

Koike developed the product when seeking a way to boost Oliver’s health following a diagnosis of stage three cancer in the fall of 2001. Their best seller in both wholesale and retail markets worldwide is a slim, three-ounce pouch of ground green Sencha that makes 80 cups of tea.

The couple recently attended a prestigious food conference in Tokyo, organized by Japan External Trade Organization, a governmental agency involved with stimulating export trade in Japan. The conference brought 62 companies from 40 countries together.

“I was totally surprised and honored to be chosen out of all the possible businesses in the United States,” said Koike. “Many are much, much bigger than us.”

The all-expenses paid invitation allowed Koike and Oliver to peruse more than 2,400 exhibitors from all over the world at the Tokyo Food Expo, followed up by more targeted, intensive sessions with 16 business owners. This was the 37th year of the massive exposition; it is the largest food and beverage trade show in Asia.

A primary goal of the conference was to help Japanese business owners more successfully market their products to other countries. According to Oliver, Sei Mee Tea’s principal advice to Japanese vendors was to be sure to get organic certification. Koike concurred, saying guaranteed food safety is paramount, especially in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.

The one-year anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that ravaged Japan last March occurred during their visit. While Sei Mee Tea’s sources were unaffected, they maintain rigorous standards that go beyond that required by the FDA and have diversified their supplier list as an extra precaution, according to Koike.

“Buying Japanese products is a way we can all help the Japanese people – as long as we can be sure those products are safe,” Koike said. “We only buy the tea when we are 100 percent sure.”

The company uses all organic ingredients whenever possible; no pesticides are acceptable.

One unexpected boon from the trip was Koike being named as the U.S. representative for a company Sei Mee Tea discovered, which is now getting business from several major producers.

Both Koike and Oliver said they felt the trip was a wonderful experience and the future looks promising as they look to start packing locally and launch the new teas.

“We’re at a new point – we’ve had great success with our basic product line and a strong response to our new additions,” Oliver said. “We’ve also had amazing local support throughout the journey.”

Their journey together began more than 18 years ago when Koike, a native of Japan, came to Seattle to get certification as an English as a Second Language teacher. When she met Oliver, she decided to stay.

“We shared a dream when we met, and we continue to share it,” said Koike. “But the dream has changed several times.”

The pair settled in Wallowa County and had a toddler and new baby when Oliver received his cancer diagnosis.

Though the health benefits of green tea had long been recognized, Koike was dismayed to discover that with brewed teas, Oliver would need to drink roughly 30 cups per day to get sufficient levels of the crucial catechin antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

She searched until she discovered a powdered whole leaf, making a more concentrated and palatable drink that would deliver 100 percent of the benefits in far fewer cups or could alternatively be sprinkled on to other foods like breakfast cereal.

Matcha, a strong ceremonial “espresso-style” tea used in Japan since the 1600s, has been traditionally the only powdered tea on the market.

Koike pioneered the use of the grinding process for every day teas. The powder is more convenient than brewing and produces more consistent taste, since people don’t have to keep track of steeping time.

Oliver’s doctor was initially skeptical, but approved the tea in conjunction with a rigorous chemotherapy and radiation regimen.

When Oliver was declared cancer free in December of 2003, he says the oncologist told him to keep drinking the tea. Other people were interested in the product, too, as it filled a vacant niche in the tea market, and so a new company was born.

According to Koike, the couple’s children Kai, now 13 years old, and Kana, 10, have been helping with the business since they were little, doing tasks such as putting labels on packages and coming to trade shows on a regular basis. They now enjoy interacting with customers and helping staff the booth.

Many regional businesses stock Sei Mee Tea products, including Nature’s Pantry and Bella in La Grande, The Blonde Strawberry in Wallowa, Ruby Peak and Dollar Stretcher in Enterprise, and Anton’s, Mt. Joseph Family Food and Wildflour Bakery in Joseph. Bella also has a store in Baker.

The next demo is scheduled at Nature’s Pantry at 1907 Fourth St. in La Grande, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.

More information is available at the company website: www.groundgreentea.com. Or call 1-866-844-9448.