For your café
WHAT DOES
YOUR CUP COST?
A cheaper bag doesn’t always give you a cheaper drink.
POWDER PER CUP
Hypothetical inputs. Not a wholesale quote.The number I want is the cost of the drink you actually serve. That includes the powder in the cup, the milk you use and the ingredients that never make it to the customer.
Start with the grams in your recipe. Then compare the same finished drink across powders. A low price per kilo is only one part of that calculation.
Start with the powder cost per drink.
A hypothetical 1kg pack at A$180 costs A$0.18 per gram. A 2g recipe uses A$0.36 of powder. At 3g, that becomes A$0.54.
Now compare a hypothetical A$140/kg powder that needs 3g in the drink with an A$180/kg powder used at 2g. Their powder costs are A$0.42 and A$0.36 per cup respectively.
That calculation doesn’t tell you which tastes better. It tells you why the pack price can’t settle the purchase. The right comparison uses the amount that works in your actual recipe.
A worked example, with the assumptions visible.
Illustration only. These figures show the calculation. They are not Japanese Matcha prices or a wholesale quote. Use a consistent tax basis when you enter your own costs.
| Item | Example input | Per cup |
|---|---|---|
| Matcha powder | 2g at A$180/kg | A$0.36 |
| Milk | 150ml at A$3/litre | A$0.45 |
| Cup + lid | One set at A$0.20 | A$0.20 |
| Subtotal | Ingredients + packaging | A$1.01 |
| Example waste allowance | 10% of powder + milk cost | A$0.08 |
| Illustrative total | Before the costs below | A$1.09 |
The waste allowance is A$0.081 before rounding. The table rounds to cents at display. It does not include labour, card fees, delivery, equipment, utilities, rent or any additional tax adjustments.
Give the rest of the drink a line too.
Add the costs your café actually incurs: the time to prepare and clean up, the packaging for that order type, payment fees, freight and the ingredients used in remakes.
Business.gov.au’s pricing guidance recommends considering materials, labour, overheads and relevant taxes. A balance left after powder and milk is not your final profit.
Keep each input visible. A single ‘margin’ number looks tidy, but it is hard to trust when half the costs are missing. Our cup margin calculator lets you enter your own assumptions.
Use the cup your customers will get.
Prepare the samples with the milk, glass and ice you plan to use. Record how much powder each needs, how long preparation takes and whether the tea still comes through after the drink is mixed.
Have a second person follow the recipe. If they need another scoop to get the same result, the cost sheet needs attention before the powder goes on the menu.
For pure tea and sweetened blends, compare complete recipes. The same total grams can contain different amounts of matcha. Our ingredient-list guide explains that distinction.
Keep sensory notes and cost notes together. A cheaper cup that your regulars leave unfinished has not solved the job.
What I’d want before a wholesale order.
- A recipe that someone else can repeat.
- The exact pack size, price and ingredient details.
- Freight, minimum order and any sample cost.
- Storage instructions and how you will rotate opened packs.
- A clear way to place the next order.
That is enough to have a useful supplier conversation. You can ask Japanese Matcha about pricing and samples, or use the tasting sheet with the powders you already have.
The aim is a drink you can make consistently, at a cost you understand, that people choose again.
Sources & notes.
Sources checked 23 October 2026.
MATCHA FOR YOUR MENU.
Tell us about your café. Ask about pricing and samples.
