Matcha Magic capitalizes on America’s green tea obsession
Awarded annually, Hot Concepts recognize emerging chains from around the U.S. that have impressive growth momentum and the potential to become household names.
The brand’s wellness mission and business ethos continue to power its growth.
July 14, 2026
Rachel Barnecut set out to revolutionize matcha with a neighborhood café in Bellevue, Wash. With a little magic, good timing, and franchisees who share her vision, there are now six locations and more to come.
Barnecut developed a passion for matcha on a trip to Japan with her then fiancé, Norman Wu. “We personally fell in love with matcha, and drinking it just made us feel better,” Wu said.
When COVID hit, Barnecut had been working as a designer at Boeing for nine years and was ready for a new challenge. By this time, she and Wu had married, and when a juice café became available down the block from their home in Bellevue, Wu said “why don’t we open a matcha café?”
Barnecut designed the logo and interior, choosing playful colors and creating a welcoming, fun vibe. It’s an environment that is energizing and promotes a feeling of calm. When Matcha Magic opened in 2022, it was the only dedicated matcha shop in Washington, Wu said. “We originally thought of it as a passion project, with matcha as a vessel for health and wellness,” he said. “We didn’t initially think we were going to grow it.”
But five months in, they started getting requests about franchising. “We must have gotten over 100 inquiries, and we started thinking that maybe this is worth a second look,” said Wu, who has experience operating franchised concepts as founder and CEO of Conscious Hospitality Group, a company with a number of purpose-driven restaurant brands, including Just Poke, Haps Burgers, and Sugo Handroll Bar.
Franchisees were attracted to Matcha Magic’s commitment to sustainability and wellness. The concept uses certified organic matcha, house-made almond milk, and real fruit purees for its acai bowls. Barnecut also developed beverages with enhanced health benefits, using adaptogens, herbs, and collagen powders. In addition, she donates 5% of sales to Ladies Who Launch, an organization that funds women-owned small businesses.
“It was amazing to have this much interest, but we waited a couple years, because we needed to figure out how everything works before we could actively grow Matcha Magic with other people,” Wu said. In the meantime, they opened a second location in Washington, refined the business model, standardized the recipes, and created a comprehensive training and franchise package, thanks to Wu’s franchising expertise gained through Conscious Hospitality. They were then ready to take on their first franchise partner, a customer who had become a fan.
“Logan is a flight attendant who had visited Matcha Magic on a layover,” Wu said. “She is as passionate as we are, loves the concept, and wanted to open a location in New Orleans. Part of the ethos of the brand is working with women and minority entrepreneurs who have a tougher time getting access to funds.” The second franchise was awarded to two sisters who opened a Matcha Magic café in the Scottsdale, Ariz., area after patronizing the location in Redmond, Wash. Wu and Barnecut now run four of their own cafes in Washington.
Cafes average 1,200 square feet and the first unit in Bellevue brings in about $1 million in annual sales.
Since Matcha Magic’s start four years ago, matcha has exploded in the beverage category. But Wu points out that most of the matcha drinks offered in coffee cafes and bubble tea shops are sweetened, flavored, and more like dessert drinks. While those are fun, he said, Matcha Magic is about offering beverages that “make you feel better.”
In Wu’s eyes, that is a key reason why Matcha Magic has been named a Nation’s Restaurant News 2026 Hot Concept. “Health and wellness is becoming bigger and bigger, especially for the target demographic [of younger consumers] who are drinking matcha. Matcha Magic is at the intersection of those two trends,” he said.
To hit that demographic, two newly hired social media interns in that age group are playing up the message that the brand uses organic ingredients, makes its own plant milks, and offers adaptogens and other natural ingredients that are beneficial to health.
Barnecut and Wu are exploring other franchise opportunities in locations like Nashville, Tenn.; Tampa, Fla; and Portland, Ore., while they concentrate on operating in Washington state. “Our ethos is to work with people that have the same core values and that we truly enjoy being around,” Wu said. “If you genuinely care about the people that you work with and you like them, you're going to want to work through the downs together, because the ups are easy, right? When things get challenging, I want to have people that say, ‘Let's sit down together, let's figure out how to fix this and make this work.”’
There are no outside investors, so Matcha Magic can grow at its own pace, he added.
Meanwhile, Barnecut and Wu are working on a slightly different model in Washington State’s wine region. “It’s almost like a matcha tasting room, where guests can go a little bit deeper into the history and culture of matcha,” Wu said. “And we’ll have different types of matcha to sample, like you would in a wine tasting room.”
About the Author
Patricia Cobe
Senior Editor, Restaurant Business
Pat came to Informa Connect from Hearst, where she was an executive editor. She is the co-author of the Mompreneurs series of books as well as two cookbooks. She graduated from Cornell University and earned a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. She is active in several professional organizations, including Les Dames d’Escoffier and the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), and serves as a judge for the James Beard Media Awards.
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