A 25-year-old guy uses the Japanese concept for the game development

Zheng’s angel relies on the Japanese principle of “Ikigaga” to turn its passion to Matcha – green tea with a unique taste and the intended health benefit – in the creation of what, it hopes, will become a iconic home brand of the future.

Just 25 years old Zheng has already owned at least five businesses – six if you consider it past as influential in social media. Her last endeavor can serve the highest expression of her yet Icy – which is no less power than the Japanese government defines as “the passion that gives the value and joy of life“

Zheng launched his first two-business brand and e-commerce recording studio, while she was still obtained a bachelor’s degree from Barukh College in New York. The clothing brand was an offshoot of her love for fashion, while the recording studio arose when it was clear that its co-founder, a musical producer, used its space only twice a week.

In the coming years, Zheng closed his first businesses using the profit to open sushi -baris Moko and Shiso. Two excellent canteens received Zheng and her co -founder place The Forbes 30 to 30 for the Nutrition and beverage industry last year.

But despite the fact that she was already making waves on the stage of the gourmet in New York, Zheng is far from over. Her last solo endeavor ISSHIKI MATCHAThe cafe located on the match is located in the middle of the fashion neighborhood of Manhattan.

ISSHIKI MATCHA is unpretentious outside – share the same space as the only other operating business Zheng, Moko, anywhere on a showcase indicating its presence. But, if everything goes, as Zheng plans, the cafe can once become zero zero Matcha.

“If you think about coffee now, you have names such as Lavazza, Illy, La Colombe. But when you close your eyes and think about Matcha, it’s such a new market that there are no heritage brands. And here’s what I want to be,” Zheng CNBC said in an interview.

Popular with young people

More than an attempt to jump on the match, the exishal came out of his own love Zheng to the drink.

The match, the powder made of ground green tea arose in China, but was refined in its current form in Japan. Its popularity has increased in recent years, especially in millennia and young generations. Japanese matches production in 2023 amounted to 4176 tons – almost three times more than 1471 tons made in 2010, The Reported about Japan TimesReferring to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture. The same article quotes Kametani tea, which states that it increased by about 10% each year since 2019 to keep up with the demand.

In Instagram 8.8 million messages tied to the hashtag #Matcha; On the cikt, 2 million. Celebrities with Two linden trees by Gwyneth paltrow by Jessica Alba Publicly approved the drink, turning it into a cornerstone of the movement for health and health.

The popularity of the match has gained that demand is now superior to the supply, which leads to a Matches deficit. Last fall, two famous tea companies in Kyoto, IPPodo and Marukyu Koyamaen, set strict purchase restrictions.

These problems with the supply chain combined with recent tariffs that threaten higher imports have caused a lot of headache over the past few weeks. However, it remains unwavering in her mission to once make the match to the home name.

Zen and target

Zheng, the Chinese first -generation emigrant, grew up in the matches and attributes tea, helping to bring her Zen in otherwise a chaotic, entrepreneurial schedule.

“Life requires you so much – school, work, family, relationships, friendships. It is important to have pillars,” she explained. “” “Existed” means one pillar. You must have pillars on your day that ground you – how to go to the gym, do your skin care mode at night, making sure you have a time in the morning to make a match or you come here and we make your morning match for you. “

This last business, explained by Zheng, feels different from her previous enterprises – mainly because she thinks she finally found her call. And, pursuing what she was really passionate about, Zheng noticed that the works that are in place.

“If you pour your love and heart into something, it’s a very big difference, especially if it’s what you consume as food,” she said. “I have my appointment. There is this Japanese philosophy, which I take on the heart and live every day, and it is called” Ikiga “. It means finding what you best help you and bring you the greatest joy, bring the world the most joy, and everything else will follow – money, success.

Zheng first came up with the idea of ​​opening a Matcha Cafe in the New Year 2024, reflecting on her resolutions for a year. During the trip to Japan shortly after she was sitting at dinner next to the head of communications on the Matcha farm.

Since the debut earlier last year, Zheng has expanded the presence of Isshiki Matcha through a thorough curator and digital branding. A brand internet can make it or break it, CNBC said, and so it still affects the impact.

“It helps a lot with business,” Zheng added. “I feel that with social media and landscape in which we live in the current digital presence and digital currency as valuable as in real life.”

ISSHIKI serves from 100 to 300 customers daily between 8am to 15 pm Moko officially takes space, starting from 17 hours, falling fresh sushi, sometimes up to 150 customers.

Digital and physical presence in the tandem because Zheng publishes the many events she has been spending through her social media. Increasing the visibility of the local Asian community is also important for Zheng, many of which are free and open to the public. Many brands she collaborated were Asian or concentrated.

The events it recently fits into the category, including a lunar new party and a pop -up on Valentine’s Day with the Asian Dating Add. Other events ranged from special morning matches to rave with local and -je to Capsules’ clothes The collection is launched to tasting tea classes. The influence of Zheng on the New York Community-in the Internet and personal-forced the Expenses to hold or satisfy the events for brands, including Uniqlo, MasterCard, Puma and Goop.

Fighting with fomo

Zheng attributes his success in preparation, hard work and good luck – which sometimes comes in the form of meeting with the right person at the right time.

Earlier this year, the next raid Zheng materialized after the owner of the bottle lemonade, Happy oxAnother Asian Brand of Drinks, entered its cafe to bring some of its products on the dinner menu. Zheng expressed interest in entering the finished space, and they soon cooperated on a new lemonade in the bottles.

While Zheng is already selling Matcha wholesale powders, the motivation behind the version before use was to create a convenient and easily accessible product. Zheng said Lemonade, which just launched a month ago, is already available in 120 stores, and it is aimed at binding the ex -like match as a La Colombe to coffee.

If a part of a successful business owner is what you know, Zheng said it wasn’t necessarily bad to suffer from fear or fomo. In the past, she has found partnerships with other participants at various events. In fact, she received the first internship after accidentally when she collided with the founder of the magazine. Both stopped to chat, realizing that they put on the same spirit.

“Literally, your network is your pure value. It gives me a cripple of anxiety to miss something,” Zheng laughed.

It also pays to jump with unique capabilities when they arise. Last fall Isshiki Matcha became viral after Zheng had time Import Shipment of Famous Chocolate Cupcakes Olympic Village It is also important for the US alertness, as if the Omicron Covid-19 variant was extended through New York only a month after the official opening of Moka.

Now Zheng is at that moment in her career where she can advise entrepreneurs for the first time, starting, telling them to embody confidence and courage. It was especially important as a woman -entrepreneur: to believe in her abilities, without selling herself short and advocates any opportunities where she is on the market, said Zheng. Sometimes Zheng considered it useful when meeting with potential business partners, so as not to reveal his age forward.

“The best part of the Asian is what I can look the same age from the like, 16 to 50,” she joked. “So you don’t know how old I am, and I always tolerated myself.”