So, I saw this TikTok about Vale Matcha and realized I had no idea who was actually behind the company and ended up going down a crazy rabbit hole, maybe feels like I’m a bit late to this. I didn’t see too much here so I felt the need to say something.
Vale’s founder and CEO, Luke Larson, was previously the president of Axon, the company behind tasers and police body cameras/tech equipment. GeekWire reports that he helped grow Axon from roughly $100M to $1B in sales before leaving in 2022, and several other former Axon leaders now work at Vale too.
Vale’s goal also seems to be much bigger than just running a few Seattle matcha shops. Larson has talked about building the “Starbucks of matcha,” (ew!) including thousands of automated machines using robotic arms to make drinks. Sure, let’s let the white guy erase any sort of cultural identity associated with matcha.
The TikTok also had some comments from people who say they previously worked with or interviewed at Vale. One former content creator said she wasn’t allowed to show traditional matcha preparation like whisking and criticized the lack of diversity on the corporate team. Another person said that during an interview, after talking about creating space for Black and Latino creators, Larson responded, “what about white men? Where’s their space?” Groan.
I never had a great feeling about this place. First of all, I personally haven’t heard much about it. Then to see that they had a suite at the FIFA matches full of influencers made me question who was behind all this.
Anyway, go support matcha businesses that don’t strip away culture for profit! Here are some recommendations instead:
– Junbi (Capitol Hill)
– Yoka Tea (Madrona)
– Taz Matcha (Westlake)
– Yoks (popup) @yokscafe
– Bonhomie (Coffee, but good matcha) (Belltown & Downtown)
Sources:
TikTok Video – @stupidcowgirl
GeekWire Article
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