The Matcha Kyoto: A British Matcha Brand's Custom Pin Story
Custom Brand Pin Story
What can a cup of matcha and a custom pin have in common? Both can hold a brand's character in a form that feels small, personal, and easy to remember.
This is the story of The Matcha Kyoto, a Manchester matcha brand that brings Japanese tea tradition into a contemporary British setting, and of how its distinctive drinks became a collection of tactile soft enamel pins.
- Manchester Beginnings From a small pop-up presence to a permanent city-center home.
- Kyoto at the Core Matcha sourced from Uji, expressed through modern flavor combinations.
- Soft Enamel Translation Raised metal lines and recessed color preserve the hand-drawn character.
From a pop-up counter to a permanent home
The Matcha Kyoto began on a modest scale. Its early pop-ups found an audience among Manchester's matcha drinkers, helped by the steady word of mouth that grows around a product people genuinely want to photograph, share, and return for.
- Pop-up beginnings The brand first built recognition through in-person service and a growing social media community.
- Selfridges Manchester A presence inside Selfridges at Exchange Square introduced the drinks to a wider city-center audience.
- A permanent shop The first permanent Manchester location near Albert Square gave the brand a space of its own.
That progression matters because it mirrors the way many independent food and beverage brands grow: one customer, one recommendation, and one carefully made order at a time. The story is not separate from the product. It becomes part of what the customer is buying into.
Traditional matcha, with a twist
The brand's starting point is serious matcha sourced from Uji, Kyoto. Its menu then moves in a more playful direction: ube matcha, strawberry matcha, mango matcha, and other combinations that make a traditional ingredient feel open to a new audience.
The same balance appears in the visual identity. The forms are clean and the palette is controlled, but the drinks are immediately recognizable. Nothing needs to shout. A restrained outline, a layer of matcha green, and one carefully chosen flavor color are enough.
A brand language built on restraint
The Matcha Kyoto's physical spaces and packaging draw on Japanese tea culture without turning it into decoration. The result is calm, contemporary, and rooted in the product. Even the more colorful drinks sit inside a consistent system.
Good branded merchandise does not need to add a new personality. Its job is to carry the personality the brand already has.
This principle is especially useful for cafes, bakeries, restaurants, bookstores, and other hospitality-led businesses. Customers already associate the brand with an atmosphere, a favorite item, or a repeated ritual. The strongest merchandise gives that memory a physical form.
Turning signature drinks into soft enamel pins
When The Matcha Kyoto's drink artwork came to MZIHO, the designs were already clear: takeaway cups, the brand name, matcha green, and the identifying color of each flavor. The challenge was not to embellish them. It was to preserve their simplicity while making the small details readable in metal.
Soft enamel was a natural fit. The metal outlines form the cup, lid, topping, and lettering. The colored enamel sits slightly lower between those raised lines, creating a surface that can be felt as well as seen. That subtle relief gives the pin character without changing the original illustration.
The finished pieces are quiet but unmistakable. A customer can recognize the drink before reading the name, and that is a strong sign that the design is doing its job.
Why these custom cafe pins work
The recognizable cup shape connects the pin directly to the in-store experience.
Green, purple, yellow, and red distinguish the drinks without breaking the brand system.
Raised lines protect legibility while recessed enamel adds a tactile, handcrafted quality.
A small object can carry a larger brand story
Making a custom pin is not simply a matter of turning a logo into metal. It begins with listening: What does the brand want people to remember? Is it the product, the place, the ritual, the people behind it, or a feeling customers take away?
The Matcha Kyoto uses a cup of matcha to connect Uji tea tradition with everyday life in Manchester. These pins carry the same idea in another form: small enough to wear on a jacket, apron, tote bag, or backpack, but specific enough to bring the brand back to mind.
For an independent hospitality brand, that is where merchandise becomes meaningful. It can recognize a team member, mark an opening, support a product launch, reward a regular customer, or simply give someone a piece of a place they enjoy returning to.
- Custom orders start from 20 pieces per design.
- A free digital proof is provided before production.
- Proof revisions are included until approval.
- Free worldwide shipping is available.
Turn your brand story into a custom pin
Send us your logo, product illustration, packaging, or even a simple idea. The MZIHO team can help you choose a practical process and prepare the artwork for production while keeping the character that makes your brand yours.