This Berkeley Haas Grad’s Startup Is A Big Hit With NYC’s High-End Chefs
A newly launched startup is changing the way New Yorkers consume strawberries, which are a high-end specialty in Japan. Oishii Farm, an indoor vertical farming company and the winner of LAUNCH, UC Berkeley’s startup accelerator and competition in 2017, is combining “decades of cutting-edge agricultural research with time-tested strawberry cultivation techniques” to provide America with a one of its kind Japanese strawberry experience.
Oishii Farm’s concept
Founded by Berkeley Haas grad Hiroki Koga (MBA 2017), the concept behind Oishii Farm was fairly simple. Launching an indoor vertical farming technology that allows the sustainable production of organic fruits practically anywhere in the world. Through the technology, Oishii was able to produce strawberries, which used 90% less land and 95% less water, that too on a commercial scale. The company was also able to overcome the pollination and disease control problem that initially would have restricted them to farm only leafy greens.
Post winning LAUNCH, the startup was also a finalist in 2017’s Global Social Venture Competition and also received $5,000 from the Dean’s Seed Fund. The Global Social Venture Competition, now defunct, played a role in shaping social impact efforts in business and on campuses going from niche to mainstream. The Seed Fund, also known as The Trione Student Venture Fund, provides funding of $5,000 and office space to early stage startups to current Berkeley Haas students.
Two years since winning LAUNCH, Oshii Farms’ strawberries have become the talk of the town in New York. The strawberries, known as the Omakase Berry, are now being used by chefs at Michelin-star restaurants such as Brooklyn Fare, Atomix and Atera. Kuzushige Suzuki, the head sushi chef at Sushi Ginza Onodera, serves the strawberries as standalone desserts as part of the 19-course meals offered at the restaurant. The strawberries have developed quite a reputation for themselves, with a carton of eight strawberries in a sushi-style box costing $50 in New York City.
LAUNCH – The UC Startup Accelerator that is taking Bay Area startups from concept to funded ventures
Founded by Haas students Melissa Daniels and Keval Desai in 2000, LAUNCH is UC Berkeley’s own startup accelerator that is exclusively built for UC Founders. If you have a talented team, a working prototype, and a big vision, LAUNCH can help you turn your idea into a company. LAUNCH provides full guidance through their Lean Launchpad curriculum – from introducing teams to venture capitalists and angel investors to providing them with an industry or technology veteran mentor.
LAUNCH accepts 25 teams who are a part of the accelerator program from January – April. The winning startup receive a funding of $50,000 on the final day of the program.