Ohtani’s Favorite Beverage, “Oi Ocha” Signs Partnership Contract with MLB across Japan and the United States, and with the Dodgers in its territory.
Shohei Ohtani x “Oi Ocha” New Project.
“Oi Ocha” will be the MLB Official Green Tea from 2025.
ITO EN Ltd. (President and Representative Director: Daisuke Honjo, Headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo), the world’s No. 1 unsweetened green tea beverage brand “Oi Ocha” (*1), announced today its official partnership contract in the green tea category both in Japan and US with Major League Baseball (MLB), beginning in 2025. This is the world’s first contract in the green tea category. In addition, ITO EN has signed the partnership contract with the Los Angels Dodgers within Los Angeles District.
With the conclusion of this contract, “Oi Ocha” will be an official green tea of MLB in Japan.
LP: https://www.itoen.jp/oiocha/ohtani
■Accelerated globalization of “Oi Ocha” by signing a contract with MLB and the Dodgers with Ohtani at the core.
“Oi Ocha”, the world’s No. 1 unsweetened green tea beverage brand, established a local subsidiary in New York, US in 2001, and has been moving in earnest to become a “global tea company”. To further promote the value of tea around the world, we have signed a global ambassador partnership with Shohei Ohtani in 2024 and have been actively promoting in Japan and abroad.
The partnership, originated from Shohei Ohtani’s admiration for “Oi Ocha”, has since expanded to further product awareness globally. For the further oversea promotion of “Oi Ocha”, we have signed a comprehensive contract that includes MLB and the Los Angeles Dodgers with Ohtani at the core. The contract will lead to various promotions in Japan and the US. In addition, we will hold a giveaway promotion to win the tickets of ”MLB WORLD TOUR TOKYO SERIES 2025 presented by Guggenheim” and original ITO EN X MLB TOKYO SERIES goods.
■Comment from a representative of ITO EN
This is the second year of our global ambassador partnership with Shohei Ohtani, which was initiated by Ohtani’s love for “Oi Ocha” and we are delighted to expand our collaboration to include MLB and Los Angeles Dodgers while we will also introduction the new collaboration project. As we aim to be the “World’s Tea Company,” we are confident that we will be able to further enhance the value of green tea around the world by working with Ohtani, MLB, and the Dodgers both in Japan and overseas. With this global contract, we will strengthen our global strategy on “Oi Ocha” through promotions around the world.
■Ohtani’s new visual image in his uniform is released along with a giveaway promotion for tickets to the MLB TOKYO SERIES and other prizes!
In response to the contract, ITO EN is conducting a Giveaway Promotion to win tickets to the MLB WORLD TOUR TOKYO SERIES to be held at Tokyo Dome in March of this year, as well as original ITO EN X MLB goods.
The new visual released in conjunction with this campaign features Shohei Ohtani in his Los Angeles Dodgers uniform swinging his bat powerfully. The bright blue background features the “MLB WORLD TOUR TOKYO SERIES 2025 presented by Guggenheim” logo and the new-haiku, “My green tea, my soul” which created a buzz when it was first announced last year. It expresses that “Oi Ocha,” now 2nd year of partnership with Ohtani and becomes the official green tea of MLB, will powerfully spread throughout the world.
■MLB Overview
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the oldest professional sports league and is comprised of 30 world-class member teams in the US and Canada. MLB has the largest participation in North America and since 2004, MLB has continued to break the number of participation records. MLB remains committed to making an impact in the communities of the U.S., Canada and throughout the world, MLB continues to renew the sport’s role in society, perpetuating the sport’s larger role in society and permeating every facet of baseball’s business, marketing, community relations and social responsibility endeavors. With the continued success of the MLB Network and MLB Digital Platforms as its foundation, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy US baseball and the global game.
For more information on Major League Baseball, visit www.MLB.com .
■Los Angeles Dodgers Overview
Founded in 1883, the team joined the American Association, a professional baseball league that once existed, as the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1884, and then joined the National League in 1890, winning 24 league titles, the most in the National League. In recent years, the team has maintained its position as the leader of the West Division of the National League, winning eight consecutive district championships since 2013. In 2024 the team won the eighth world championship after a four-year break since 2020 and making the playoffs for the 12 consecutive seasons.
■Profile of Shohei Ohtani
Born in Iwate Prefecture in 1994. 193 cm tall, weighs 95 kg, throws right, bats left. In 2012, he was drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as the number one pick overall. He got attention by challenging to be a “two-way player”, being the pitcher and the hitter at the same time. In 2016, he contributed to the Fighters becoming Japan Series winner through his success in both pitching and batting, he won the MVP of the Pacific League. In 2018, he joined the Los Angeles Angels and was awarded the Rookie of the Year in the American League. In 2021, awarded American League MVP with 46 home runs as a hitter and 9 wins as a pitcher. In 2023, he had a historical season, becoming the first Japanese player in history to win the American League home run leader in addition to achieving double-digit wins and double-digit home runs for the second consecutive year, and became the first player to win the American League MVP with a full vote for the second time in history. In 2024, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he became the first player in MLB to surpass 50 HR (54) and 50 SB (59), won two consecutive league home run title, and became the first player in MLB history to win the MVP award two years in a row and a third time with a full vote. We cannot take our eyes off his further success in the future.
■“Oi Ocha”, the world’s No. 1 green tea beverage brand
“Oi Ocha” is our flagship brand and the world’s No. 1(*1) unsweetened green tea beverage brand, and at the end of December 2024, its cumulative sales volume has surpassed 45 billion bottles (*2) since its launch in 1989.
Tea has permeated into our lives as a communication tool that connects people with each other and is referred to as an everyday drink. Since the launch of its predecessor product, the world’s first green tea drink “Sencha in a can” in 1985, our “Oi Ocha” brand has continued to grow based on our technological capabilities to evolve with the changing drinking styles of the times and our ability to procure high-quality raw materials (tea leaves) through initiatives such as the tea production area cultivation business. The company has continued to grow based on its ability to procure high-quality raw materials (tea leaves) through initiatives such as the tea-growing business. Overseas, the value of “Oi Ocha” has been well received, and the number of customers (fans) who enjoy drinking “Oi Ocha” is steadily increasing in North America, Southeast Asia, etc. As of March 2024, the product is sold in more than 40 countries and regions.
(*1) Certified by Guinness World Records
INTAGE SRI+ Unsweetened Tea Beverage Market Data January-December 2023
“Oi Ocha” Brand Sales Value
Official English record name: Largest unsweetened green tea RTD brand – retail, current
Recorded brands: “Oi Ocha” brand (excluding “Oi Ocha” hojicha products)
Target year: January – December 2023
(*2) 500ml PET bottle equivalent
■Company Overview
Based on the Group’s management philosophy of “Customers First,” our mission is to help our customers lead healthy and affluent lives and help create a sustainable society. We are committed to providing the best taste and value of “Japanese” tea to our customers of all ages.
In order to realize our long-term vision of becoming a “Global Tea Company,” we will continue to promote “Oi Ocha” around the world as a representative Japanese brand, connect with tea culture in various regions around the world, and create a new tea culture and tea market on a global scale through the technology and value chain of the ITO EN Group. Through the strong partnerships that we have built with all those who have been involved with us since our founding, we will contribute to the healthy and prosperous lives of our customers in Japan and around the world.