Matcha Nude Owner Samm Coffin Tells the Naked Truth about Matcha

By meg hale brunton

Photo Credit: Brian Knox Photography

Having dealt with her share of health issues early on in life, Matcha Nude owner Samm Coffin has discovered her struggles have only made her more prepared to help others. Through the healing power of matcha, she has found she is able to help bring people to a level of wellness they otherwise may not have thought was possible for them. “I felt really empowered when I realized I could help people with these issues,” Samm says. 

The oldest of six children, Samm and her family lived in Section 8 housing and were even homeless for a brief period. As an adolescent, Samm was constantly stressed, had digestive issues, anxiety, sleep struggles, and painful periods. Medical professionals dismissed her problems for years as being just part of womanhood. Finally, at eighteen, she was diagnosed with celiac disease and lyme disease. 

As a student at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Samm began working at the local women’s center. While there, she became educated in health and childbirth. She went on to earn her Master’s degree from Minnesota State University at Mankato and later got a marketing job in Asheville, North Carolina. Samm thought she had broken the cycle of poverty in her family, since the job came with a 401K and a higher salary than she had ever had. The job soon proved to be highly stressful with a negative work environment, only further contributing to her sickness.

At 31, Samm was diagnosed with Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. After researching her diseases, Samm discovered many women with her same conditions were being given very few treatment options. “I realized more and more that I wasn’t the only one getting diagnosed, but getting no solutions,” she says. Samm attributes many of the health issues women her age seem prone to today to a lack of work/life balance, and the fact that doctors prescribe estrogen-based birth control as a solution for many symptoms related to female reproduction. She argues our bodies are naturally good at healing, especially if you start making small sustainable changes. 

Realizing this for herself, Samm started working to remove plastic from her life, began filtering her water, and eating organic whenever possible. She also decided to only do soul-driven work from then on. She left her chaotic job and got her health coach certification. Along with her coaching, she did marketing for a yoga studio and for a few other organizations. Around the same time, she started drinking a superfood version of green tea called matcha.

Samm refers to matcha as “green tea grown with intention.” Because one consumes the entire plant, it has ten times the nutritional value of regular green tea. It also has ten times more antioxidants than blueberries, just 23 milligrams of caffeine, and an amino acid called L-theanine. Samm prefers the boost she gets from L-theanine because it helps your body focus and relax instead of experiencing a jittery buzz and energy crash.

Finding delicious and affordable matcha hard to come by, Samm accepted when a friend in Canada offered to sell her her matcha business. The business was called Matcha Nude. After taking over the business in December 2021, Samm found her own source for organic, ethically-sourced, non-GMO, vegan, premium grade matcha out of Kagoshima, Japan. Because the matcha is grown next to an active volcano, it is some of the cleanest matcha one can find. Samm opened Matcha Nude in February 2022.

Matcha Nude products are available online, in coffee shops and markets in WNC, and at select locations across the country. Customers can also find recipes on the website. 

Samm takes pride in the fact that all of Matcha Nude’s products are affordable and sustainable. She is always experimenting with new recipes, like her Matcha Zinger and Rose Matcha Latte. They even offer matcha facial masks and body scrubs. “We’re always adding more fun, beautiful things. Matcha can meet you wherever you’re at,” Samm says with enthusiasm. She also likes making matcha more accessible. 

Currently, Samm is Matcha Nude’s only full-time employee. She hopes to hire more staff sometime in the future. Right now, she is prioritizing growing sustainably, creating a positive work environment, and staying true to her roots. The community of female entrepreneurs in the area have been invaluable to Samm starting her business. “I believe I got here because of other women in the state that have supported me,” she says. “It was really easy for me to follow the lead of these other incredibly fierce women.” 

Samm’s favorite part of her job is the conversations she gets to have with people in the community. She has seen firsthand the benefits of matcha, serving customers with everything from acid reflux to ADD. “I do want Matcha Nude to reach the masses,” she says. “I want to send the message that we deserve to thrive in our bodies, and not just survive.” 

To learn more about Matcha Nude visit their website: www.matchanude.com