ITO EN teams up with MLB for new Oi Ocha partnership

Image credit: ITO EN

ITO EN Ltd and Major League Baseball (MLB) announced a new partnership agreement in Japan and the United States beginning in 2025. In Japan, ITO EN is now the official green tea of MLB, and in the US, Ito En is an official partner of MLB. In addition, ITO EN has signed a club partnership agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers. ITO EN will run various promotions in Japan and the US as part of the “Oi Ocha” x Ohtani x MLB 3-way relationship.

On 21 January 2025, a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, announced the partnership, with the goal of expanding product awareness across the US and Japan. Mookie Betts from the Los Angeles Dodgers attended as a special guest, alongside Shusuke Honjo, executive vice president of ITO EN. The comprehensive contract, which originated from Shohei Ohtani’s admiration for Oi Ocha and now involves MLB, will introduce various digital and in-store marketing initiatives to engage audiences across the US and Japan.

ITO EN, parent company of ‘Oi Ocha’, the world’s leading unsweetened green tea beverage brand, established a local subsidiary in New York, New York in 2001, and has been moving in earnest to become a global tea company. To further showcase the value of tea around the world, ITO EN signed a global ambassador partnership with Shohei Ohtani in 2024 and have been actively promoting in Japan and abroad. The partnership, originated from Shohei Ohtani’s admiration for Oi Ocha, has expanded to further product awareness globally. To further overseas promotion of Oi Ocha, ITO EN has signed a comprehensive agreement that includes league rights with MLB and a local team sponsorship with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Ohtani at the core, the agreements will lead to various promotions in Japan and the US.

“This is the second year of Ito En’s global ambassador partnership with Shohei Ohtani, which was initiated by Ohtani’s love for Oi Ocha, and we are delighted to expand our collaboration to include MLB and Los Angeles Dodgers. As we aim to be the “World’s Tea Company,” we are confident that we will be able to further enhance the value of green tea around the world by working with Ohtani and MLB, both in Japan and across the U.S., as well as the Dodgers in the Los Angeles market. With this global agreement, we will strengthen our global strategy on Oi Ocha through promotions around the world,” said Shusuke Honjo, evp of ITO EN Ltd.

Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the US and Canada, representing the highest level of professional baseball. Led by Commissioner Robert D Manfred, Jr, MLB has achieved back-to-back attendance gains for the first time in 12 years with an overall increase of 11% and 80% of clubs welcoming more fans over the last two seasons following extensive rule changes that have improved the quality of play on the field. With the 2024 season featuring the best time of game in 40 years and the most stolen bases in 109 years, MLB viewership increased across all its national media partners, grew international viewership by 18%, set another record for MLB.TV streaming with more than 14 billion minutes watched and earned League of the Year honours from Sports Business Journal and the CLIOS.

As the league increased its marketing efforts and promotion of star players like 2024 NL MVP Shohei Ohtani and 2024 AL MVP Aaron Judge, MLB has significantly increased its younger fan base as evidenced through viewership, social media, ticket purchasing, and participation metrics. Through its MLB Together social responsibility efforts, MLB remains committed to making a positive impact in the communities of the US, Canada and throughout the world. With the continued success of MLB Network, MLB digital platforms and local media production and distribution, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy America’s National Pastime and a truly global game. To learn more about MLB, please visit www.mlb.com.

In 2012, Shohei Ohtani was drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as the number one pick overall. He got attention by challenging to be a “two-way player”, being the pitcher and the hitter at the same time. In 2016, he contributed to the Fighters becoming Japan Series winner through his success in both pitching and batting, he won the MVP of the Pacific League. In 2018, he joined the Los Angeles Angels and was awarded the Rookie of the Year in the American League. In 2021, awarded American League MVP with 46 home runs as a hitter and 9 wins as a pitcher. In 2023, he had a historical season, becoming the first Japanese player in history to win the American League home run leader in addition to achieving double-digit wins and double-digit home runs for the second consecutive year, and became the first player to win the American League MVP with a full vote for the second time in history. In 2024, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he became the first player in MLB to surpass 50 HR (54) and 50 SB (59), won two consecutive league home run titles, and became the first player in MLB history to win the MVP award two years in a row and a third time with a full vote. We cannot take our eyes off his further success in the future.

Oi Ocha is ITO EN’s flagship brand and the world’s No. 1 unsweetened green tea beverage brand, and at the end of December 2024, its cumulative sales volume has surpassed 45 billion bottles since its launch in 1989.

For more information on ITO EN or the Oi Ocha brand, please visit itoen.com.

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