Minoruen was founded in 1958 by Yamaguchi-san, a former businessman who quit the corporate world to sell tea to his community along side his wife. Since then, the Yamaguchi family has continued his work for three generations.
Minoruen is headed by Yamaguchi Shinichi (山口真一), a second generation tea producer. His son, Yamguchi Yuma (山口雄真) originally left Kagoshima to work in Tokyo, but after a change of heart in 2016, returned to support and succeed his family's business. Yuma-san continues to promote Kagoshima tea locally, hosting brewing classes and workshops aimed at teaching the next generation how to brew loose-leaf Japanese tea.
