麦茶

Industry-typical MOQ is 100–500 kg for loose roasted barley or tea bag inserts, with 4–8 week lead times. Custom blends (with brown rice, hatomugi / Job's tears, or buckwheat), tea-bag conversion, and private-label printing add 2–4 weeks. Crop seasonality (June barley harvest in major prefectures) creates an annual cycle: most roasting houses prefer to roast against the current year's crop, and supply can tighten in late spring before new harvest.

Tochigi is consistently the top six-row barley producer in Japan, followed by Saitama, Fukuoka, and Saga, per MAFF crop statistics. Hokkaido produces a substantial share of two-row (malting) barley but most mugicha is made from six-row barley. Specific cultivar (six-row vs. two-row) affects aroma profile — confirm with supplier.

Standard COA: moisture, color value (roast indicator), microbiological limits (focus on aerobic plate count and yeast/mold given grain product), heavy metals, pesticide residues against destination-market MRLs, mycotoxin testing (deoxynivalenol DON, ochratoxin A — both barley-relevant), and acrylamide if dark-roasted. JAS Organic certification is available from several producers; non-GMO statement standard for Japanese-produced barley.

Loose roasted barley is typically supplied in 5–10 kg multi-layer paper / poly-laminate bags inside cartons. Tea-bag (cold-brew) format is the strongest growth segment for export — request individually-foil-wrapped pyramid bags or strip-pack flat bags for convenience. Specify shelf life and maximum cumulative temperature exposure for tropical-destination shipping; aroma loss accelerates above 25 °C.