Yasai

Yasai is a Switzerland-based hydroponic vertical farming company that grows herbs such as basil, peppermint, dill, and coriander with plans to expand into leafy greens and cosmetic plants. The company’s products are available in Coop, Jelmoli stores, and Farmy.ch. Its farms are AI-integrated and run entirely on automated functions. 

Yasai claims to produce 200x more yield per sq m than traditional agriculture using 95% less fresh water. As of January 2023, the company had built two industrial farms and had plans to build another farm in the following years and expected to achieve a 10x increase in production capacity.

Key customers and partnerships

In October 2020, fenaco National Products, a strategic business unit of the fenaco cooperative, invested CHF 500,000 (~USD 583,072) in YASAI AG and entered a strategic partnership to construct an industrial-scale vertical farming pilot project in Zurich, Switzerland, with a growing area of 585 sq m and 20 tons of fresh herbs per year. Later, in February 2021, Yasai partnered with iFarm and Logiqs B.V. for the equipment and technology supply for the farm. In February 2022, the company partnered with fenaco, Agroscope, and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences for an Innosuisse research project aimed at improving the sustainability, quantity, quality, and profitability of YASAI's vertical farming operations, supported by an investment of CHF 1 million (~USD 1.2 million).

Funding and financials

In January 2023, Yasai secured an undisclosed amount from the Bell Food Group in a convertible loan round to support scaling efforts. Yasai raised EUR 1.4 million (~USD 1.5 million) in August 2022, via a crowdfunding round to extend production capacity and expand its team.