Oishii, the company behind what it describes as the world’s largest indoor vertical strawberry smart farm, opened its Open Innovation Center in Hamura, Tokyo, on August 5, 2026. The company said the facility is a first-of-its-kind research hub built to address core challenges in vertical farming, including scalable farming systems, productivity, sustainability, flavor, crop quality and cultivation technology for new fruit and vegetable varieties.
Center Builds on US$150 Million Series C
The opening follows the first close of Oishii’s US$150 million Series C funding round in May 2026 and marks another step in the company’s planned expansion across the U.S. and Japan. Oishii said the center will support continued investment in robotics, farm infrastructure and production across both markets, drawing on nearly a decade of research and operating experience with its pesticide-free, non-GMO indoor produce.
Japanese Officials and Partners Back the Project
Oishii said it chose Japan for the center because of the country’s expertise in agriculture and manufacturing, fields the company said underpin many of vertical farming’s technical demands. Norikazu Suzuki, Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, spoke at the center’s opening ceremony. “By combining Japan’s exceptional crop varieties with the advanced technologies cultivated through its manufacturing sector, including robotics, and further enhancing them with emerging technologies such as AI, we can create unique value for the world,” said Norikazu Suzuki, Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Oishii Partners With NTT on Research Projects
Some collaborative research is already underway at the center. NTT, an Oishii investor and strategic partner, is working with the company on optical approaches to pest and disease control and is exploring voltage-controlled refrigeration to extend strawberry freshness and quality. Hiroki Koga, Co-Founder and CEO of Oishii, said the center reflects lessons from the company’s first decade of operation. “Building Oishii over the last ten years has given us a much clearer understanding of where some of the hardest questions in indoor agriculture lie,” said Hiroki Koga, Co-Founder and CEO of Oishii. “The Open Innovation Center gives us a place to bring that experience together with people who have spent their careers approaching these questions from very different fields. There is still a lot we want to learn, and that exchange can push our work in directions we may not reach on our own.”
Oishii Prepares First Japan Commercial Launch
Alongside the research center, Oishii is preparing for its first commercial launch in Japan, with sales expected to begin by the end of 2026. Founded in 2016, the company grows its Omakase, Koyo and Nikko strawberry varieties in pesticide-free smart farms in the U.S. and counts SPARX Asset Management, NTT, Yaskawa, McWin Capital Partners and Resilience Reserve among its investors.
Source: igrownews.com
