If you haven’t seen Rodeo Matcha on your social feeds, we’d be surprised, because they’re dominating the local pop-up scene with their Instagram-worthy matcha drinks.
Founder Abel De Leon whisks up layers of the creamy tea, milk, and homemade syrups and purees to create a layered drink that looks as good as it tastes.
From their first pop-up in October 2025 to being invited to a Bucks event a few months later, Rodeo Matcha is having its moment, and we’re here for it.
I talked with Abel to learn more about what led to starting Rodeo Matcha, the research that goes into starting a matcha brand, and what’s next for the green goodness in Milwaukee.
Come along for the ride!
Born and raised on the southside of Milwaukee, being an entrepreneur wasn’t a childhood dream of Abel’s. Instead, he grew up wanting to become a police officer or pursue a career in the criminal law field.
However, that dream changed once he and his wife started a family, and he realized how valuable spending time with them was to him.
He made his way into the healthcare industry instead, but found himself laid off during COVID and without any idea of where to go next. That’s when his wife, who owned her own beauty business, suggested he try working there.
That launched his first venture, the Lash Cowboy, which would grow into a recognizable and reputable brand that not only took off in Milwaukee but also in Texas! Social media exposure and the fact that part of his family had moved out there meant he was able to build a loyal following and work with brands in the Lone Star state.
In Milwaukee, his modern, Western aesthetic paired with engaging social content and a backlog of devoted clients helped Lash Cowboy stand out among its competitors. That, and as a male in an industry with a natural inclination towards women owners and cosmetic technicians, helped him carve out his niche in an otherwise competitive market.
At the start of Lash Cowboy, his long days had mostly been fueled by coffee, but in recent years, he had grown an affinity for matcha that slowly turned into an obsession – in the best possible way.
He spent almost two years researching matcha, not with the intention of starting a business at first, but for simple curiosity about the tea, its benefits, the process for making a good matcha drink, and what made every harvest so unique.
Without knowing it, he was setting himself up for what would become Rodeo Matcha.
“It helps you relax, doesn’t make you jittery, it has a lower caffeine level but enough to help you focus and keep you going throughout the day.”
As someone who also enjoys drinking matcha and buys the powder itself frequently, I had a few questions of my own, like what the different kinds of matcha are, which ones are the best, and what the heck does ‘ceremonial grade’ mean?
Matcha quality is dependent on many factors and, therefore, broken into different tiers or ‘grades’: high, medium, and low. The highest grades are a vibrant green, which get their coloring from young tea leaves. The lower grades can be a mix of leaves or consist of older tea leaves, which have a darker color complexion.
“Basically, with matcha, there are different grades. The highest grades start by planting the seed and watching it grow. Sometimes it can take years; there’s a process of shading, then picking it out, cleaning and grinding them down.”
The most unexpected part of our tea leaf conversation came when I asked him about the ‘ceremonial’ label that you see on the packaging. Abel said that in Japan, there is no such thing as a ‘ceremonial grade’. There are certain ceremonies in the Japanese culture where matcha is drunk as a special tradition, but the ‘ceremonial grade’ level is purely a marketing mechanism for American consumers.
Understanding matcha at a very finite level was only one part of the puzzle. As Abel realized there was a gap for high-quality, great-tasting matcha in Milwaukee, he knew he needed to identify a supplier that could provide consistently high-quality matcha and work out a brewing process. It meant a lot of trial and error and experimenting to identify the perfect water-to-matcha-to-milk ratio.
“The secret and key to success on matcha is knowing the ratio. How much milk do you need to use? Different types of milk can change the taste and quality. Water grades. Water is a factor. For example, you use water that has low minerals with matcha, because high minerals will change the flavor, and it won’t be good. Everything’s measured out as soon as you set that cup out. The temperature of the water and the different types of matcha harvest can change the taste.”
Not only that, but then he has to set the standards for his employees, aka his wife and daughter, to ensure that there’s consistency across every drink they make. It’s a family affair at Rodeo Matcha, with many of his family members helping out behind the scenes to make the pop-ups a success.
“It’s a family-run business right now. I have my wife and daughter help me out. I’m training my niece right now. My mom and mother-in-law, my cousins, brothers, and sisters, too, are in the whole process.”
Having his family alongside him during this journey means he’s got built-in taste testers to help him get a feel for the recipes and gather feedback for improving or tweaking any drink flavors. The menu at Rodeo Matcha has seen flavors like mango sticky rice, lychee, strawberry, banana pudding, and even a fruity pebbles flavor made with cereal milk!
To keep up with trends, seasons, and the desires of his customers, Abel is constantly creating new drink combinations. He also likes to partake in ‘field research’ to see what matcha shops in bigger cities are up to, often taking trips to Chicago. He’s also big on social media, so he uses those platforms to discover other drink flavors and to see what people in the matcha space are up to.
In fact, social media is a big part of Rodeo Matcha’s success. Abel often posts behind-the-scenes videos of what it’s like creating a matcha brand and documents the trials and triumphs of being an entrepreneur as well. The videos in which he makes the drinks help to drive local virality for his unique matchas.
Between the social buzz and the attention to detail in every drink at Rodeo Matcha, bigger players are taking notice. Abel was invited to host a pop-up for the families of Milwaukee Bucks players and coaches recently, which was an exciting moment for a business that’s been open for less than a year!
When he’s not slinging drinks, Abel still works as the Lash Cowboy. He tries to do around three days for Rodeo Matcha and a couple of days for lashes, but has been cutting back to focus more on the pop-ups.
“Eventually, I want to transition more to Rodeo Matcha full-time over lashes. Rodeo Matcha needs a lot more focus because of the flavors, working with local businesses for events, and all the prepping for it”.
When asked what going full-time for Rodeo Matcha looks like, Abel said he’s considering a larger trailer or even a brick-and-mortar location. In the meantime, you can catch them at local businesses for their weekly pop-ups or at the Shorewood and Deer District Farmers Markets this summer.
And, if you’re curious as to their expansion plans, guess you’ll just have to follow along and support Rodeo Matcha’s pop-ups to see where they end up!