the muzi story

in 2001, a business professor at queen’s school of business challenged brian takeda and mars koo to come up with a business plan for their 4th year thesis. their thoughts turned immediately to tea. the business plan developed by the pair envisioned a chain of premium, fresh brewed loose leaf tea concepts across canada and the united states. brian came from a long line of japanese tea masters and, having seen the fast growing tea market in japan first hand, believed that north america was where the next big tea ‘boom’ was going to take place.

shortly after graduation in 2002 brian and mars began researching and planning their first store to be located in vancouver. they picked vancouver because their research indicated that vancouver was an entrepreneurial city where new ideas would often prosper and for it’s reputation of the healthier lifestyle.

their parents believed in their concept so much that they provided them with the necessary funds to get the first location of INFUZE off the ground in november 2002 in downtown vancouver, british columbia. partnering with a high end design firm, mars and brian came up with a zen inspired contemporary interior that won the 2004 ‘decade of design’ award ( International Interior Design Association) award.

what was so different about INFUZE? they didn’t serve tea with teabags or any coffee for starters….

brian and mars placed a large importance on educating the customer on the tea brewing process, the quality of tea varieties, history of tea, tea cultivation, flavour profiles and health benefits. furthermore, they introduced the north american market to “matcha.” matcha is finely ground green tea. it became so popular that the vancouver press had a field day, investors wanted involvement, and the phenomenal matcha sales caught the attention of the japanese premium matcha manufacturer, Aiya. within a few months Aiya and INFUZE became partners.

as brian and mars began to network with their customers, demand grew for the locally grown tea sensation. boutique hotels, spas and premium heath food stores began selling INFUZE tea. they now had a burgeoning wholesale market on their hands.

the next major change began in the summer of 2005 when brian and mars decided to update and refresh the brand. working with the original brand consultancy, a new, contemporary brand expression was conceived, carrying over what was great about INFUZE, and turning it into a desirable, innovative, modern and warm brand known as muzi.

muzi is not just a brand of tea, but a lifestyle dedicated to enriching the well being of its consumers by consistently providing a unique and healthy alternative to the everyday beverage experience. we are hoping to launch some muzi tea bars in the next year, so keep your eye out!

let’s make more muzi!