About Chamanis

CHAMANIS BORNEO began in 2019 as TENCHA, incubated by DDX a small family owned German company with a passion for innovation, research, and sustainability. Originally a tribute to organic matcha, TENCHA blossomed into a full sensory experience through partnerships with luxury lifestyle and hospitality pioneers.

Finding inspiration in the momentum of the global natural wine movement, the brand sought to express a similar sentiment in the field of tea. Much like wine, the conventional story of tea production is by no means idyllic or contemplative. This is true for matcha especially, considering the immense pesticide, toxin and fertiliser residues which are not uncommonly seen. These tarnish the sanctity of a beverage commonly regarded as healthy and harmless. The natural wine movement, in an adjacent category, signaled a clear shift away from such conventional narratives, at least in the premium and super premium segments. Driven by a next generation of customers and customer preferences, it impressively demonstrated the potential of a return to the essence and soul of a drink with deep cultural significance. Inspired by this resounding success, the brand focused on introducing the world to the remarkable and unexpected joy and sweetness of natural tea and matcha.

Within few months, it made mixology appearances at Asia’s 50 Best Bars Tippling Club (Singapore) and Tesouro (Goa). It also partnered with Takayama, an intimate fine dining Kaiseki helmed by Taro Takayama, former chef to the Ambassador of Japan to Singapore and Omotesenke school tea ceremony practitioner. In a series of crossover collaborations, it paired matcha with natural sourdough (Starter Lab), wellbeing-focused weekend cruises (Zouk at Sea) and bespoke French perfumes (Maison 21G). Further, a packaging collaboration with Sojao, a specialist in organic cotton linens, saw the brand recycle production off-cuts into beautiful gift pouches for retail-size matcha. In Stockholm, it was featured as a special edition for local tea pop-up We.B.Tea. Luxury hospitality conversations with Park Hyatt Saigon and Alila Bangsar emerged also, in connection with an apparently increasing guest demand for elevated wellbeing experiences rooted in sustainability and joyful intensity. Yet, given the global pandemic, the curtain on TENCHA fell towards the end of 2019. Its essence now is reborn in CHAMANIS and given an eclectic cultural twist. Introducing the world to the confluence of impressions and lifestyles that makes APAC the intensely colourful region it is, it’s a celebration of delightfully original matcha and humanity in its natural form. Backed by extensive networks in Europe and Asia, the brand promises to bring intensity and unseen beauty to sophisticated and conscious hospitality experiences interested in a stake in the global matcha movement.

For CHAMANIS, 2025 is dedicated to moving 2019’s proof of concept to commercial proof-of-value, with a focus on unique locations in East and West Malaysia. Each presence concentrates on enabling community and creativity, contemplation and conversation. None of this is new territory, with the prevalent expertise behind the concept having named, branded and created the value proposition for two now-unicorns, as well as nurtured a major community ecosystem in Asia and ran a highly profitable specialty coffee chain across retail and event business in Europe. While CHAMANIS as an experience is new, with new recipes and new people in the mix, it draws on a deep well of understanding what the future of luxury experience looks like.