What started as selling matcha in Miami through a Snapchat story has become a sibling-run student business with “Matcha Mondays” at Midtown Apartments and regular pop-up events.
Mia Meyer, an 18-year-old UF advertising freshman, loved sharing her homemade matcha on social media. She quickly gained traction among her friends, who jokingly suggested Mia try to make a side hustle out of it.
So she did, everywhere she could.
“I would do pop-ups around Miami,” Mia said. “I would do Pilates events. I would do different workout events. I would do birthday parties. I would do the school fair.”
Mia’s mom, Vanessa Meyer, said her work ethic kicked in right from the start.
Her daughter would wake up 45 minutes early to get started on the morning's matcha orders before school, Vanessa said. She’d have more orders waiting for her when she got home.
“By week one, the girl had 500 followers, and my kitchen was full of people,” Vanessa said. “That was her whole senior year of high school.”
After moving to Gainesville for college, Mia decided to bring Matcha Meyer with her. Her older brother Matthias, 21-year-old UF business administration senior, joined in on the venture.
The co-owners balance each other out well, Vanessa said.
“Mia can do it all,” Vanessa said. “Mia can swirl the matcha and dance and talk and even tell you a joke or two. It’s so funny how their personalities are so different, and they’ve made it work.”
Mia’s “wired” personality perfectly complements Matthias’ “chill” disposition, she added.
While Mia tests out new syrup and cold foam combinations and manages their social media,
Matthias focuses on transporting the cart and handling the business’ spreadsheets and finances.
The Meyers didn’t leave behind the support of their friends when they departed Miami. Anthony Curtis, Matthias’ roommate and a 21-year-old UF accounting senior, has not only supported the business but has gotten involved with it, too. Curtis sells his homemade pastries with Matcha Meyer.
Bringing a familiar taste to Gainesville has also allowed Curtis to expand his network and grow closer to his roommate. His recipes were passed down from his mom and sister and were originally used as his way to remember them while being away from home.
“They're actually family to me at this point, and I've only known them for three years,” he said of the Meyers.
Beyond Matcha Meyer’s familial values, the business also reflects Mia’s personal approach to creating their drinks.
Unlike most matcha companies, Mia said, her business uses date syrup. She also experiments with unique cold foams, like strawberry, Oreo and honey-vanilla flavors.
Their matcha is also ceremonial grade imported from Japan; that is, extra smooth and higher quality.
Although they’ve only been settled in Gainesville for three weeks, the siblings have big aspirations for Matcha Meyer’s future.
"My sister does have another four years here, so her vision is kind of to make it into a permanent location, make it into a store, and she does have a lot of time to do that,” Matthias said.
Mia also hopes to expand, from being involved in different types of events to becoming UF certified and able to table at university-held events like Gator Market.
That vision is already taking shape in Gainesville, with Matcha Meyer’s “Matcha Mondays” in collaboration with Midtown Apartments and a growing Instagram calendar filled with upcoming pop-ups and events.
For Mia and Matthias, what humbly started in their home kitchen is quickly becoming a new family business, one matcha at a time.
Contact Katharine Litman at klitman@alligator.org. Follow her on X @katealligator.
