February 2 @ 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm
Speaker: Rikko Osaki.
Speech topic: The Art of Tea: Shizuoka’s Guardians of Tradition
A Documentary on Three Japanese Green Tea Farmers from Shizuoka
Presented by Chaoi Project
The Chaoi Project—“Cha Open Innovation”—is an initiative by the Shizuoka government in Japan to spotlight and support local tea farmers while driving innovation in the tea industry. This year, Hokusan Tea Canada has partnered with three Shizuoka tea farmers to create a documentary series showcasing their tea, farms, histories, and challenges. The documentaries are currently being translated, and we are thrilled to propose the Toronto Tea Festival 2025 as the first public screening of this inspiring series.
Rikko Osaki is the founder of Hokusan Tea Canada, a premium wholesaler of Japanese green tea, specializing in matcha. Hokusan has been awarded Best Japanese Green Tea for three consecutive years, highlighting its dedication to quality. In 2021, Rikko trained as a tea farmer at a 450-year-old heritage tea farm in Japan, grounding her in the art of green tea cultivation. She is passionate about inspiring Canadians to embrace mindfulness through Japanese tea culture, while educating on the sustainability and benefits of this rich industry. Rikko’s mission is to share the vibrant traditions and promising future of green tea.