The Music Made Me Do It
Psst…the short and sweet version is we made our first freaky playlist. You can find it here 💚
Read on for some of our Founder’s story and the inspiration behind matcha freak.
Hi Freaks.
It’s Katy, the founder and operator of this baby matcha freak business.
I hope this blog post finds you in a state of utter serenity and matcha-filled happiness (#goals) 🍵, but if you happen to be feeling a lil’ spicy and disgruntled, even better.
The thing about being a freak, we take you regardless of your saucy moods and complex states of being. We are here for the hard days when you don’t feel your best and struggle to find motivation. On the mornings when you need not one matcha latte, but three before you can even begin to feel like you can take a deep breath in….we are here for it.
I founded Matcha Freak almost two years ago after working in and running cafes, restaurants, and hotels for about 13 years. I started at 19 as a way to support myself during college, and despite my best efforts, the food and hospitality bug bit me hard and stuck until I found the Freak.
The thing about me is that I cannot only do something a little bit… I tend to go all in hard, fast, and freaky. So when I started working for small, amazing restaurants that were telling a story with every ingredient they used and creating a vibe with every song they played, I became obsessed. I wanted to work for everyone I could, anywhere I could…and at 22 I dove into the world of trying to learn as much as could about good food, good drink, and freaking fabulous vibes.
The work was hard, but so expansive. I worked and lived in Vermont, Arizona, Los Angeles, and now Portland just following the food and the people who make it (farmers, chefs, coffee nerds, plant nerds, wine freaks, cider mavens, badass baristas, wild bartenders, kitchen witches… ya they all my besties and I am super proud to have such a cool, creative community).
Those who know me IRL, know just how much I love everything about the creation and ritual of a meal well made, ingredients well grown, and the collaborative energy created around a table. It is my everything.
It is where stories are told, where understanding happens, where we break bread and always have. It is a fundamentally human experience that can be made great and life-altering with the right details.
It is a moment filled with utter potential.
To me, matcha-making has the same magical vibe.
I love taking time from my day to slow down and be present with myself or with whomever I am making it for. I find the feeling of potential in that deep inhale filled with the umami scent of the matcha blooming with the first few whisks into the warm water. And I love, love, love sharing it with my fellow freaks.
It’s why I do this. I do it because I know that there are matcha freaks all over the US sipping the same wild tea — and maybe it inspires them to be hopeful, creative, present, and filled with a lil’ joy despite it all.
And it is with that in mind, that I created our first Matcha Freak Playlist.
I play music always and … big surprise… I am obsessive about it.
I am a true restaurant gurl who doesn’t like a silent room. I am the freak who is invited over for a dinner party and immediately checks the playlist upon arrival, queues 10 songs, and then puts herself to work in the kitchen and pouring guests wine. And nobody complains.
This compilation of wonderful tunes is meant to hype you the freak up. It is some of my favorite artists who can make me dance first thing in the morning and who also inspire me to live my freakiness out loud and proud.
So if you wanna… take a listen. I dare ya. And maybe let yourself dance a little. It’s fun.
Thanks for being here. All of you freaks really do mean the world to me, and you all deserve the world. And no matter what happens… we are all here together.
.
