Matcha in a Capsule?
Japan’s VICELLA Laboratory Is Reimagining Wellness with Tea Tech
With global demand for matcha on the rise, a capsule or pill might be the easiest way to enjoy all its nutritional benefits.
15 July 2025
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Photo Credit: Matcha & CO on Unsplash
Fuelled by viral matcha videos and a tourism boom in Japan, global demand for matcha surged sharply last fall, overwhelming supply chains and prompting major coffee shops and restaurants worldwide to expand their matcha offerings and capitalize on the craze. The highest-grade ceremonial matcha (harvested in spring and painstakingly ground on a stone mill) is produced in limited quantities through a time-intensive process. As consumers clamoured for quality ceremonial varieties, unexpected shortages have followed.
This matcha supplement makes the health benefits of matcha easily accessible without the need for a whisk or teacup
| Photo Credit: Vicella Laboratory
In Japan, VICELLA Laboratory has taken a thoughtful approach to the matcha craze—prioritising wellness over trend. Revered not only for its flavour but also for its nutritional value, matcha has attracted attention as a superfood in the world of natural supplements.
‘Matcha has the effect of enhancing antioxidant power and immunity. We’re done with COVID, but we still must face many viruses in our lives. The most important thing is to improve body function and immunity. Therefore, we focused on matcha as an ingredient.’ Says CEO of VICELLA Laboratory, Kawahara Takeshi.
‘Matcha can be expected to have the strongest antioxidant, fat burning promotion, antibacterial and anti-cancer effects. Dietary fibre improves constipation and suppresses blood sugar level rise. Theanine has a relaxing effect, reduces stress and improves sleep. It also contains vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll.’ Kawahara says
Their latest innovation, the VICELLA Matcha Supplement, is designed to make the health benefits of matcha conveniently more accessible, and this is without the need for a whisk or teacup.
Bringing Ancient Superfoods into Modern Life
Japan’s older generations have long embraced the benefits of fermented foods and enzyme-rich diets—a lifestyle often credited for their vitality and longevity. But among younger consumers, these nutrient-dense foods were largely overlooked. Kawahara notes that this has been changing and there has been a sizeable shift in younger generations becoming increasingly health conscious. After four years spent developing their NMN Athlete Supplements, VICELLA Laboratory saw an opportunity to build on this momentum. They expanded into matcha and other Japanese superfood supplements with a clear mission: to honour the integrity of whole natural ingredients as they would appear in a traditional meal, while transforming them into formats that meet the needs of modern fast-paced lifestyles.
Photo Credit: Vicella Laboratory
Superfood Simplicity: Why Capsules?
While matcha has become a global trend, we see it swirled into lattes, desserts, and smoothies, very few people consume it regularly in its purest form. That’s where VICELLA’s innovation comes in.
The hard capsule makes consumption simple, preserving the raw ingredients and delivering them directly to the stomach. This offers the same health benefits as drinking matcha, but in a more convenient form. Each VICELLA capsule contains 194 mg of matcha. The recommended dose is just two small capsules which has been precisely formulated for ease of daily consumption.
For matcha lovers, the capsule format is flexible too. The powder can be removed and added to water, sprinkled over food or enjoyed however one prefers.
Photo credit: Andrea Lacasse on Unsplash
Matcha Capsules: A Growing Market
VICELLA joins a growing number of brands worldwide such as MRM Nutrition and Clapp that offers a ceremonial grade organic matcha supplement in capsule form, tapping into demand for convenient natural matcha supplements.
What sets VICELLA apart is its thoughtful formulation.
At its core is 100% Kyoto Uji Matcha—sourced from a region renowned for producing Japan’s highest-grade matcha. This is blended with 18 nutrient-rich grains. These include Japanese barnyard millet, glutinous and foxtail millet, green and yellow soybeans, pigeon wheat, barley, red beans, mochi brown rice and glutinous black rice. Once a staple grain in Japanese households, millet’s rich nutrients, particularly that of dietary fibre, vitamin B, iron and calcium remain intact when ingested in their unrefined form. As a result, millet is seeing a re-emergence as a slow food with its ability to nourish and restore.
Matcha, as a product, is good on its own, but Kawahara notes that together, matcha and millet is the ideal combination for nutrients and functionality, offering a synergistic effect: enhanced antioxidant power, improved gut health, stabilised blood sugar and a balanced source of plant-based protein.
Japanese Wellness, Reimagined
Kawahara attributes the decline in superfood consumption in Japan to the time and effort traditionally required to prepare these ingredients. VICELLA seeks to change that. By encapsulating superfoods into a convenient daily supplement, the brand is making their benefits easier to access in today’s fast-paced world.
VICELLA’s matcha supplement is a modern solution to a timeless need: nourishing the body naturally, conveniently and effectively. Through thoughtful innovation, VICELLA Laboratory is helping a new generation rediscover the power of superfoods—one capsule at a time.
Photo credit: Daniel Stiel on Unsplash
Author: Natasha Beh Comerford
With over 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry specialising in restaurant public relations, marketing and content creation, Natasha Beh Comerford eats and breathes all things culinary. When she’s not discovering Singapore’s hidden gems, you’ll find her experimenting at her stove or kicking back with a good recipe book or two.
