At 22, most students are busy juggling thesis deadlines, group projects, and the occasional weekend breather. For Caitlin Lee, a fourth-year student at De La Salle University, those responsibilities come with an additional layer: running a fast-growing matcha business.

She is the founder of Maison Midori, a premium matcha powder brand that’s carving its place in the local matcha community. What began as a passion project, an idea scribbled down in July 2024, has since grown into a full-fledged venture supported by family, friends, customers, and a loyal matcha-obsessed community.

But the story of Maison Midori started long before Caitlin ever thought of running her own brand.

Caitlin’s love affair with matcha began when she was 15, during a family trip to Japan. She remembers stumbling upon a tiny stall, ordering matcha without really knowing what it was, and being instantly drawn to its earthy, slightly bitter taste.

“I didn’t know anything about matcha back then,” she admits. “But I liked the taste. That’s where it started. I just kept drinking matcha after that.”

Years later, while studying in France for an exchange program, she encountered a café that served what she describes as “uncompromisingly authentic matcha.” That experience lit something in her and urged to bring the same high-quality matcha she loved to the Philippines at a fair price.

If you ask Caitlin, her degree unexpectedly prepared her for this entrepreneurial journey. She’s finishing her Chemistry, minor in Business Studies—an academic combo that strangely mirrors her two passions: mixing and making.

“Ever since I was young, I loved mixing things,” she tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “Chemistry played a big role in pushing me to create something of my own.”

During the pandemic, she even ran a home baking venture called Bread Glossary—her first brush with running a small business. That early experience taught her how enjoyable it was to create, experiment, and make something people appreciated.

Maison Midori officially launched in November 2024, offering premium Japanese matcha sourced from smaller farms, ones that often get overshadowed by bigger, trendier brands.

“There’s this misconception that there’s a matcha shortage,” Caitlin explains. “It’s true for the famous brands, but the smaller local farms in Japan? They actually have a lot of harvest. I want to help bring those farms into the spotlight.”

Her mission is simple: make high-quality Japanese matcha accessible to more Filipinos.

And Filipinos responded. During her first pop-up at the Soirée Bazaar, Caitlin sold over 500 cups of matcha, a milestone that confirmed Maison Midori had real potential.

Recently, Maison Midori hosted its first official brand launch, a gathering of matcha lovers, friends, and supporters who had followed Caitlin’s journey from the start. Guests enjoyed matcha tastings, conversations, and a preview of the brand’s next offerings.

“Maison Midori is not just a business,” she says. “It’s something I poured my whole heart and passion into. It’s built on love, faith, and community.”

Like many young entrepreneurs, Caitlin leans on the wisdom of those who’ve walked the path before her—including her parents. Before launching, she consulted them extensively. Their biggest advice came before she left for her exchange program: “Don’t waste this opportunity. Look around. See what you can bring home.”

She did exactly that and it changed the course of her life.

For students who also dream of starting something while still in school, Caitlin has simple but honest advice: “Don’t be scared. Starting capital is scary. Not knowing what to do is scary. I came from that too,” she says. “Just do it.”

With variants like Tenshi Samidori, Maroyaka Okumidori, and the limited-edition Fukami Matcha, Maison Midori continues to grow its product line while building a community that genuinely loves the drink as much as Caitlin does.

And as she finishes her final year in university, she’s proving that age and coursework don’t have to be obstacles to building something meaningful.

Sometimes, all it takes is a 15-year-old girl with a cup of matcha and a dream she’s brave enough to pursue.