Oishii, the produce company behind the world’s largest indoor vertical strawberry farm, announced the opening of their newest farm in Los Angeles.
The company’s west coast expansion marks the first time Oishii’s beloved strawberries are available outside of the greater New York area.
Oishii -- which means ‘delicious’ in Japanese -- is known for their Omakase Berry, a special strawberry varietal from the foothills of Japan regarded for its sweetness, aroma, and creamy texture. As the only vertical farming company to have perfected the strawberry at commercial scale, Oishii harmoniously marries nature with technology in their innovative, zero-pesticide farms. Oishii’s first-of-its-kind pollination method is conducted naturally with bees, delivering perfectly ripe fruit year round. The hyper locally grown produce is clean, fresh, and carbon neutral.
“Los Angeles is an incredible food city, and we’re excited to put down roots in California. It’s where I first stepped foot in the U.S. and where the idea for Oishii first began, so it feels like a homecoming for us” said Hiroki Koga, CEO and Co-Founder of Oishii. “Since our earliest days, consumers, chefs, and retailers have all been asking us to bring our berries to LA. We can’t wait for more people to experience endless summer with the Omakase Berry as our company continues to reimagine the future of farming.”
Oishii’s berries will be available for sale at Destroyer, the Culver City cafe atelier from Chef Jordan Kahn.
The Omakase Berry was first introduced in 2018, quickly catching the attention of Michelin-starred chefs in New York. Beyond retail options, the berries will soon be served on the menus of LA’s favorite restaurants.
Oishii’s west coast expansion comes on the heels of remarkable growth for the company. In March, Oishii closed a $50 million Series A, with funding dedicated to opening new markets and investing in R&D for new technologies designed to transform the future of agriculture. The vertical farming innovator is currently in development on new strawberry varietals, as well as other types of flowering produce, such as tomatoes, melons, and peppers.
