Oishii Farm

Oishii Farm is a vertical farming company that produces Japanese Omakase strawberries. It combines strawberry cultivation techniques in Japan with vertical farming technologies. The company’s growing system enables bees (pollinators) to thrive and ensure optimal quality. It sells the berries to restaurants and supermarkets.

The company sells the berries in supermarkets, and, in May 2022, announced that it has reduced the prices of a pack by 60% since it initially launched. The company claims that its revenue has grown 10x since the product was first launched three years ago. The berries initially attracted chefs, but they quickly became popular among Manhattan foodies. 

In October 2021, Oishii announced plans to open a new farm in Los Angeles. The operational date and the capacity of the farm remain undisclosed. The new facility would allow the company to market its strawberries, for the first time, outside of the greater New York area. The strawberries would be available for purchase via Oishii’s website as well as at Destroyer (a cafe atelier run by Jordan Kahn's Culver City restaurant). Oishii opened a 74,000 sq ft farm in Jersey City, New Jersey in May 2022, reported to be the company’s most technologically advanced farm as of May 2022. The company launched its second strawberry variety, The Koyo Berry, in February 2023, followed by Rubī Tomato, in select Whole Foods stores in the US. In June 2024, Oishii has launched Amatelas Farm, a 237,000 sq ft solar-powered vertical strawberry farm in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. In July 2024, The company has also announced plans to introduce Omakase and Koyo berries to local farmers markets in the Mid-Atlantic region between July and September 2024.

Key customers and partnerships

In May 2023, the company partnered with Yaskawa Electric Corporation, a Japanese industrial robotics company, to provide Oishii plant factories with automation systems based on Yaskawa's solution concept, i3-Mechatronics, a software suite product for factory automation. In September 2023, the company partnered with Brooklyn-based brewery Grimm to introduce the Ambient Fizz (strawberry beer).

Funding and financials

In March 2024, Oishii secured a USD 15 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to transform a vacant building in Phillipsburg into an energy-conserving production facility housing a high-tech indoor vertical farming operation. 

Previously, In February 2024, Oishii secured USD 134 million in Series B funding led by NTT to open a solar-powered facility, expand distribution to new markets, and invest in advanced robotics and energy-saving innovations.