Fort Lauderdale Small Business Openings

Matcha Focused Cafe Concept Debuting in Fort Lauderdale

Alma Matcha is planning a late March opening in Fort Lauderdale serving artisanal matcha drinks, pastries, and Japanese sandwiches.

Image from Alma Matcha on Facebook

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Alma Matcha is targeting a late March opening at 701 NW 5th Ave. #1011, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311, with founders Jessica Binder and Tamir Terrell aiming for a grand opening around March 29, pending final permitting. The concept grew from an online retailer and community pop-up into a permanent cafe centered on matcha, ritual and education, Binder and Terrell told Business Debut.

Business Debut learned of this story first from What Now.

What to Expect

Alma Matcha will be a matcha-focused cafe with about 25 seats inside and additional outdoor seating. Guests will order at the bar and can watch each drink being made to order, with the team hand-whisking matcha and hojicha while walking customers through the process and history behind the tea.

The cafe sources its matcha directly from farms in Japan through relationships the founders have built with growers. Alma Matcha also plans to offer hojicha, loose-leaf teas, a retail section with tins of matcha, tea tools and merchandise, plus a refill program for customers bringing back empty containers.

The beverage program will focus on artisanal matcha lattes and refreshers, with a specialized coffee program also planned for opening. The coffee will use a custom blend created for Alma Matcha with beans from Colombia and Guatemala.

Food will be an important part of the concept. The team offers matcha pastries and recently added Japanese sandwiches, including a strawberry-and-matcha sandwich and an egg salad version. Binder and Terrell also wanted Sabrina recognized for helping develop the matcha-related food items. In the interview, the founders said they have worked closely with Sabrina at New River Bakery in Fort Lauderdale on balanced pastry offerings.

Binder brings a medical background to the business as a physician assistant and Nova Southeastern graduate who has long been passionate about matcha, food and beverage. Terrell comes from event planning and experiential marketing and said her work with luxury French caterer Yann Nury, including culinary experiences tied to brands such as Dior and Louis Vuitton, helped shape Alma Matcha’s community-driven approach. Together, they have built the brand around events, wellness programming and education as much as drinks.

The founders also asked to spotlight operations leads Noelle Pascale-Wong and Taylor Terrell, who help run day-to-day operations and bring the company’s ideas to life. Alma Matcha is very much a family business, with the founders emphasizing the support of parents, siblings and extended family throughout the buildout and pop-up stages.

Opening Timeline

The team is wrapping construction and targeting a grand opening around March 29, with some flexibility depending on permitting. Alma Matcha’s flagship follows its atelier-style pop-up next door, which helped introduce the concept to the neighborhood and build its audience ahead of the full opening.