Under the Hood: Anna from Littlefoot Matcha

Anna Sullivan is the founder of Littlefoot Matcha, a new CPG brand bringing premium Japanese matcha to a growing community of mindful consumers. We caught up with Anna to talk about the spark behind the brand, building through organic content, and what she’s learning as an early-stage founder in the food and beverage space.

LITTLEFOOT MATCHA LINKEDIN

What sparked your obsession with matcha—and how did it turn into a business?

It all started in 2017 when I tried matcha for the first time, drawn in by the hype of trendy cafes like Cha Cha Matcha. While I didn’t love the taste at first (it felt a little too grassy), I kept giving it a chance. Fast forward to 2022, during a trip to Japan, I finally discovered what matcha could truly be—rich, smooth, and anything but grassy. That trip transformed my perception of matcha, sparking an obsession that led me to seek out the best matcha cafes around the world, from Japan to Amsterdam, South Korea, New York, Los Angeles, and Dubai.

By 2024, back in the U.S., I found myself missing the incredible matcha experiences I had abroad. Local coffee shops just didn’t compare, so I took matters into my own hands—perfecting recipes at home and sampling matcha from countless brands. Soon, I became the go-to “matcha maker” for my friends. That passion evolved into something bigger: Littlefoot Matcha.

How long did it take you to go from your first blend to a ready-to-ship product?

It took about 4 months. I started reaching out to manufacturers and taste testing everything to decide on where to source products from. Then I worked with No Revisions to pretty much do everything from the website, branding, email marketing, photoshoot, etc. I have a background in social media so I did a lot of that myself.

Did you start DTC or in retail? Why did you choose that path first?

Currently starting with DTC and just pushing this organically. I really want to see how this can grow without paid ads and fully focus on organic social (and email) – pushing people to our site. Once we are a little more established I am planning to work with very select retailers.

What’s something people don’t realize about launching a CPG brand?

Content creation! I had an initial photoshoot done but otherwise I am working with a friend to create all the content and videos. This not only takes time to dream up and research ideas, but prepping recipes and trying them before shooting, then editing. I am pretty happy for the results so far on these as all our social accounts have less than 300 followers and some videos have over 10k views - all for my DIY content.

What surprised you most—in a good way—about launching a matcha brand?

Honestly - a positive thing - the community it brings. So many brands want community and try hard to build it. I think my passion for matcha has made my brand have a community from day one and it's honestly just amazing talking to followers and customers every single day. It brings me so much joy.

What tools are essential to managing your early-stage operations, content, and customer journey?

Just getting started with tools, but currently I can't live without: ShipStation, Klaviyo, CapCut, ClickUp, and Recharge.

What feedback have you gotten about flavor and quality—and how is it shaping future blends?

Since we just launched, I haven't gotten too much feedback. I did send out packages to some matcha connoisseurs and it's been great to get their feedback on the product. We just launched with a hero product that is definitely geared toward the beginner matcha drinker - I think people who are really into matcha like more complex flavor profiles, so that will be coming soon.