In Japan, mugicha (barley tea) is a ubiquitous and generally unremarkable drink, available from every corner vending machine and grocery store. But for Janice Ishizaka, CEO and cofounder of The Canadian Barley Tea Company, the drink's lack of appreciation represents an opportunity to create a new, healthy, made-in-Canada beverage.
In March 2019, Ishizaka partnered with her sister, Cilla Watkins, to launch mo'mugi — a brand of organic mugicha made with 100 percent British Columbia-grown barley.
"Mugicha is like the poorer younger sibling of (green tea) because it's so common in Japan," Ishizaka says, addressing the general lack of awareness of mugicha among consumers in Canada. "So I really believe that Japanese companies just never saw it as something interesting to export, or they thought it was already there."