• by Danielle Oster , March 28, 2025

Unsweetened green tea brand Oi Ocha turned to a baseball great for a marketing initiative timed to MLB opening day, March 27.

This week, Ito En released a limited-edition bottle featuring Los Angeles Dodgers’ superstar designated hitter/pitcher and Oi Ocha all-star global brand ambassador Shoehei Ohtani.

Billed as a “collector's item,” the bottle offers a glimpse of Ohtani out of uniform, wearing what the brand calls “casual clothes” (a white T-shirt). The item is currently available across mass, local, and specialty retailers and Japan-focused mass retailers across the U.S., as well as via Amazon. Oi Ocha will follow up with a second limited-edition bottle in May, featuring the slugger swinging a bat while wearing his Dodgers uniform.

Ohtani began his partnership with Oi Ocha’s parent company, Ito En, last year, his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was already a baseball superstar in his native Japan (where Ito En is headquartered) before making his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018.

According to a release announcing the news, Ohtani’s partnership with the brand emphasizes a “balanced blend of tradition and modernity,” and has authenticity beyond most brand endorsement deals. Ohtani purportedly drinks the beverage as part of his daily routine and uses it as part of his pre-game preparation “to help him maintain focus.”

The release follows a video posted to Ito En’s and Ohtani’s Instagram pages earlier this month, celebrating his partnership with Oi Ocha. The company will donate an unspecified portion of commemorative bottle sales to the project “Green Tea For Good.” Launched in collaboration with Ohtani last year, “Green Tea For Good” features company employees in the U.S. planting cherry trees in Torrance, California, and engaging in a clean-up activity at Kapiolani Park in Oahu, Hawaii.