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The basics:

• Jersey City-based Oishii secures $150M in Series C funding
• Sustainable berry grower plans to expand vertical farming operations
• Investments will support robotics and R&D growth
• Oishii continues expanding berry sales across North America

After raising $150 million in Series C funding, Jersey City-based sustainable berry grower Oishii will continue efforts to broaden retail access.

According to the vertical farming startup, financing was led by Sparx Asset Management with participation from investors including Nomura Real Estate Development Co., Misumi Group and Mizuho Bank.

Founded in 2016, Oishii aims to transform agriculture by combining advanced robotics with traditional farming methods to grow in-season, pesticide-free, non-GMO produce year-round.

The company has raised more than $370 million over the past decade to support its work.

With the first closing of Series C financing, Oishii plans to boost production capacity, advance robotics integration, expand farm infrastructure and develop new product formats, according to a news release.

The company said it will also continue investing in research & development and innovation capabilities across the U.S. and Japan.

Berry focused

After introducing its popular Omakase berry in 2018, Oishii unveiled two more strawberries (the Koyo berry and the Nikko berry) and a tomato (the Rubī tomato).

The company’s primary production site is a 237,000-square-foot solar-powered vertical farm that opened two years ago in Phillipsburg.

Oishii also still grows at its 72,000-square-foot site in Jersey City. Additionally, the company is establishing an R&D facility in the Tokyo metropolitan area to focus on furthering technological innovation in the field of vertical farming.

Along with increasing its retail footprint to 18 states across the U.S. and Toronto, Canada, Oishii has rolled out new pack sizes and stay-fresh packaging de-signs.

The venture also created a premium preserves line to extend the brand beyond fresh berries into an elevated range of pantry staples.

‘A new phase’

Oishii co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Hiroki Koga said, “When we chose strawberries, we knew we were selecting one of the hardest paths in indoor farming. They require precision at every stage, from pollination and harvesting to freshness and shelf life, and there were moments along the way where solving one challenge revealed the next one underneath it.”

He went on, “This funding marks a new phase for Oishii as we scale what we’ve built, with deeper confidence in the decisions we’ve made and the role we can play in bringing high-quality produce to more people.”

Sparx Asset Management President and CEO Shuhei Abe stated, “Since our Series A investment in 2019, we have continuously supported Oishii Farm’s growth. It is truly inspiring to see the vision we shared at that time steadily becoming a reality, as the company advances seamlessly from research and development to proof of concept and commercialization.”

“One of the company’s key strengths lies in its exceptional execution capability, which has enabled rapid technological advancement. As Oishii Farm enters a new phase with the establishment of its Open Innovation Center in Japan, we look forward to continuing to support its growth,” Abe said.