Debuting the Koyo Berry

With the newly introduced Koyo Berry, vertical farming company Oishii is expanding its brand.

“Koyo is a ruby red strawberry bursting with sweetness that’s complemented by a balanced acidity, and firmer texture. Some compare it to traditional American strawberries, but better,” says CEO and co-founder Hiroki Koga.

Oishii’s business model is straightforward: use Japanese vertical farming technology to bring better berries to market. Strawberries, Koga says, “have pretty consistently been a bit of a roll of the dice for customers.” With climate control and high-end growing technology, the idea is to grow berries consumers know will be fresh. And, in selecting Japanese varieties like the Koyo Berry or the Omakase Berry, Oishii brings berries to market that serve a specific purpose.

For example: Koga says he prefers to eat the Koyo Berry (typically grown in Tokyo during the winter) in the morning with breakfast, while the Omakase Berry (usually produced in the Japanese Alps) is more of a dessert berry.

“Now our customers have more options,” Koga says, “and they can choose based on their taste preferences and needs and likes.” Their berries also come at a premium price; Koyo has an MSRP of $15, while Omakase has an MSRP of $20. Previously, the latter retailed for $50.

New introductions are also why Koga is optimistic about the company’s future. Koga says the company is “focused on bringing the most delicious strawberries to the world” first and foremost. But Koga says they are also working towards using their technology to grow tomatoes, peppers and melons.

He adds the company’s revenue has grown eight-fold in the last year and that their investors include Toyota, the Sony Innovation Fund and the SPARX Group. They’ve also expanded beyond the New York area with a farm and retail presence in Los Angeles.

What Oishii is producing, Koga says, is why he’s confident in both Oishii’s ability to continue scaling up and in vertical farming’s viability as an industry.

“Despite the turbulence, I’ve never been more confident about the future of vertical farming,” Koga says. “Today, we’re seeing the effects of when companies scale too quickly without a differentiated product. This is exactly what happened in Japan years ago when many vertical farms launched with leafy greens: it hinders scalability and profitability. Even though the industry may be experiencing some growing pains, I know it will rebound just like it did in Japan. There is clear demand for vertically farmed produce — which is why we’re selling out in Whole Foods and FreshDirect — and that will only help propel the industry forward in the next five, 10 and 20 years.”