Base Food
Base Food is a Japanese food technology company that develops "completely nutritious" staple foods (bread, ramen, cookies, cakes) providing one-third of 33 essential daily nutrients per serving. The company sells primarily through a D2C subscription model to over 1 million regular subscribers across Japan and six international markets.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Base Food does
Base Food is a Japanese food technology company that develops and sells "completely nutritious" staple food products, each formulated so that a single serving provides one-third of 33 essential daily nutrients (protein, dietary fiber, and 26 vitamins and minerals). Founded in April 2016 and headquartered in Meguro, Tokyo, the company launched the world's first nutritionally complete staple food (BASE PASTA) in February 2017 and has since expanded its portfolio to include BASE BREAD (flagship, launched March 2019), BASE RAMEN (including cup ramen format launched October 2025), BASE YAKISOBA, BASE Cookies, BASE Pancake Mix, and BASE Pound Cake. Core technology centers on a proprietary formulation combining whole grain flour, soybeans, chia seeds, kelp, and 10+ other natural ingredients, supported by long-shelf-life bread manufacturing (1-2 months at room temperature without synthetic preservatives), non-fried noodle processing with 30-35% lower sodium than typical instant noodles, and scientific sensory evaluation developed through over 100 prototyping iterations per product, with advisory from UCLA School of Medicine Associate Professor Yusuke Tsugawa.
The company operates primarily through a direct-to-consumer subscription model via its own e-commerce platform (shop.basefood.co.jp), where over 80% of users opt for recurring monthly delivery with 20% off the first order and 10% ongoing discounts. Distribution has expanded to FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, and Lawson convenience stores, drugstores, and Oisix specialty food delivery in Japan, plus international e-commerce in the US (Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Kroger.com), Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea. Revenue is generated through subscription recurring sales (primary stream), one-time consumer purchases, B2B corporate wellness via BASE FOOD for Office, and curated add-on services through BASE FOOD Selection (including UCC co-developed coffee). The company went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (ticker: 2936) in November 2022 and reached 300 million+ cumulative servings and 1+ million regular subscribers by June 2026.
The business is led by CEO Shun Hashimoto and operates with 51-100 employees, over 40% of whom belong to the R&D group. Manufacturing and shipping are handled from Zama City, Kanagawa, with a US office in San Francisco. The company has raised approximately 400 million yen in Series A funding (May 2019) from Rakuten Ventures, XTech Ventures, and Global Brain prior to its IPO, and maintains strategic partnerships including co-development with UCC Group for coffee products and supply relationships with sports teams and musicians through BASE UP SPORTS PROJECT and BASE UP MUSIC PROJECT.
Base Food firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Base Food
- Legal name
- ベースフード株式会社
- Website
- https://basefood.co.jp
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Ipo
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Base Food is a Japanese food technology company that develops "completely nutritious" staple foods (bread, ramen, cookies, cakes) providing one-third of 33 essential daily nutrients per serving. The company sells primarily through a D2C subscription model to over 1 million regular subscribers across Japan and six international markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Base Food industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Complete Nutrition Packaged Foods
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311), Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing (311813)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050), Cookies & Crackers (2052), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified) (CRADABAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), Snack Bars (Granola, Protein, Cereal Bars) (CRADABAG), Functional Snacks & Bars Manufacturing (High-Protein, High-Fiber, Probiotic Snacks) (AFAKAJAG)
Keywords
Where Base Food is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
Base Food business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel
Revenue model
- Subscription / Recurring (継続コース): Monthly recurring delivery subscription model as the primary revenue driver. Subscribers receive 20% off first order and 10% ongoing discount. Orders auto-delivered monthly; customers can modify delivery date and contents via My Page. Over 80% of users choose the subscription model.
- One-time / Ad-hoc Purchases: Single-purchase transactions via own e-commerce site, convenience stores, drugstores, and external e-commerce channels (Amazon, Rakuten).
- Corporate / Office Sales (BASE FOOD for Office): Corporate health and wellness plan offering BASE FOOD products to office employees for business use, targeting B2B segment for employee health benefits.
- BASE FOOD Selection: Curated lifestyle products for subscription members, including coffee and other complementary items, sold as an add-on to the main subscription.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | BASE RAMEN cup ramen at 442 yen per cup |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Original Blend Coffee 9-piece set at 1,499 yen |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription: 20% off first order, 10% off subsequent orders |
| Other | Annual | Shareholder benefit: 1,500 yen coupon (500 yen x 3) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Base Food product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Base Food develops, manufactures, and sells a line of complete-nutrition staple foods — including BASE BREAD, BASE RAMEN, BASE YAKISOBA, BASE Cookies, BASE Pancake Mix, and BASE Pound Cake — designed so that a single serving delivers one-third of the daily requirement of 33 essential nutrients. The company primarily sells these products through a direct-to-consumer subscription model (継続コース) and through convenience stores, drugstores, and corporate-wellness channels, targeting health-conscious consumers, busy professionals, and athletes.
Product overview
Base Food (ベースフード株式会社) is a Japanese nutritionally complete food company offering a portfolio of ready-to-eat and prepared meal products. The core lineup consists of six BASE FOOD branded products — BASE BREAD (bread), BASE RAMEN (ramen/noodles), BASE YAKISOBA (yakisoba), BASE Cookies, BASE Pancake Mix, and BASE Pound Cake — each designed so that one meal provides 1/3 of all daily required nutrients (33 essential nutrients including protein, dietary fiber, and 26 vitamins and minerals). The company also operates supporting services including a subscription delivery program (継続コース), a curated marketplace for subscription members (BASE FOOD Selection), a corporate wellness plan (BASE FOOD for Office), an e-gift service, and a physical craft sandwich store concept (BASE Sand). Products use whole grain flour, soybeans, chia seeds and other natural ingredients. The company was founded in April 2016, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in November 2022 (Ticker: 2936), and sells primarily through its own e-commerce channel as well as convenience stores, drugstores, and international markets including Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the US.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BASE BREAD: Nutritionally complete bread - flagship product providing 1/3 daily nutrients per serving
- BASE RAMEN
- BASE YAKISOBA
- BASE Cookies
- BASE Pancake Mix
- BASE Pound Cake
- BASE FOOD Selection
- BASE FOOD eギフト
- BASE FOOD for Office
- BASE Sand
- BASE UP SPORTS PROJECT
- BASE UP MUSIC PROJECT
Products and services
- BASE BREAD
- BASE RAMEN
- BASE YAKISOBA
- BASE Cookies
- BASE Pancake Mix
- BASE Pound Cake
- BASE FOOD Subscription (継続コース)
- BASE FOOD for Office
- BASE FOOD Selection
- BASE FOOD eGift
- BASE Sand
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 300 million servings sold since February 2017 launch
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Base Food
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Base Food technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Base Food partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UCC Group (UCC、大豆グループ)coreCo-developed BASE FOOD Selection Original Blend Coffee with UCC coffee professionals. UCC coffee academy instructors supervised blending of 11 types of coffee beans in approximately 16 million possible combinations to create coffee tailored to complement each BASE BREAD flavor (chocolate, milk, sweet potato/cinnamon). Product sold exclusively to subscription members.
- dip BATTLES (D.League Professional Dance Team)minorSupplier agreement with professional dance team competing in D.League as part of BASE UP SPORTS PROJECT. Provides BASE FOOD products to team athletes and supports nutrition education and sports performance awareness activities.
- 立川正美 (Masami Tachikawa, Saxophonist)minorSupplier agreement with professional saxophonist through BASE UP MUSIC PROJECT, providing nutritional support and promoting healthy eating habits among music professionals and audiences.
- 立教大学体育会ハンドボール部 (Rikkyo University Handball Club)minorSupplier agreement with 48-member university handball team in Kanto Division 2 league, providing BASE FOOD products as nutritional support for athletes and promoting nutrition-sports performance awareness.
- Amazon.com (US)coreUS e-commerce marketplace distribution partner for BASE Cookies Cocoa and BASE Cookies Coconut in the US market alongside Walmart.com and Kroger.com.
- Walmart.com (US)coreUS e-commerce marketplace distribution partner for BASE Cookies products in the US market alongside Amazon.com and Kroger.com.
- Kroger.com (US)coreUS e-commerce marketplace distribution partner for BASE Cookies products in the US market alongside Amazon.com and Walmart.com.
- Burger Mania (バーガーマニア)minorCollaboration with popular hamburger restaurant (selected as one of 'Hamburger 100 Best 2019' by Tabelog) to develop BASE BURGER using BASE BREAD as buns, sold at food truck in Otemachi 2019-2020. Burger Mania also offers BASE BREAD as optional bun upgrade (+210 yen) at 3 Tokyo locations.
- ラーメン凪 (Ramen Nagi)minorCollaboration to launch complete nutritional ramen BASE RAMEN すごい煮干 at all 14 Ramen Nagi locations nationwide. Joint product development with dedicated noodle manufacturing at だるま製麺 for optimal ramen texture. Also partnered for US market Base Noodles ramen bowl at Ramen Nagi Palo Alto.
- 三菱UFJ信託銀行株式会社 (Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Bank)minorShareholder registry administrator and issuer guarantee bank for prepaid payment instruments (ポイントプログラム), as required under the Payment Services Act.
- 三菱UFJ銀行 (Mitsubishi UFJ Bank)minorIssuer guarantee bank for prepaid payment instruments (ポイントプログラム) under the Payment Services Act.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Base Food competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oisix ra Daichi: Japanese organic/specialty food subscription D2C leader (Oisix brand). Already a Base Food retail channel partner and directly comparable in subscription-based DTC model targeting health-conscious urban Japanese consumers.
- Soylent: US-based pioneer of complete nutrition meal replacement products. Directly comparable to Base Food in offering nutritionally-complete ready-to-consume foods targeted at busy consumers seeking convenient balanced nutrition.
- Huel: UK-based complete nutrition brand offering shakes, meals, and bars formulated to deliver full daily nutrition. Closely comparable to Base Food in product philosophy (complete nutrition convenience), D2C subscription model, and global DTC distribution strategy.
- Jimmy Joy: Netherlands-based complete nutrition meal brand offering shakes, bars, and hot meals with full daily nutrient profiles. Directly comparable in product positioning around nutritionally complete convenience foods.
Emerging players
- Nature's Path: North American organic and better-for-you breakfast / snack CPG brand. Comparable to Base Food in BFY/whole grain positioning and CPG retail distribution, though concentrated in cereal and snack bar categories.
- AG1 (Athletic Greens): D2C subscription nutrition brand selling a daily greens/nutrition powder. Comparable to Base Food in subscription-driven DTC nutrition model and health-conscious consumer targeting, though positioned as supplement rather than staple food.
- Smeal: Korean complete nutrition meal replacement brand with D2C e-commerce focus. Highly comparable to Base Food's Korean EC expansion and similar positioning around 'one meal, full nutrition' for busy urban consumers.
Broad incumbents
- Nissin Foods Holdings: Japan's leading instant noodle manufacturer (Cup Noodle brand). Comparable to Base Food's BASE RAMEN and BASE YAKISOBA cup noodle portfolio in instant noodle category and Japanese retail presence, but at vastly larger scale.
- Calbee: Japan's largest snack food manufacturer (potato chips, snacks). Comparable in CPG snack category positioning, Japanese retail distribution, and brand-building approach, though Calbee operates in conventional rather than functional/complete nutrition space.
- Meiji Holdings: Major Japanese food and nutrition company with dairy, confectionery, and sports nutrition products (including SAVAS brand). Comparable as a Japanese nutrition-focused CPG player targeting health-conscious consumers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Base Food social profiles
Digital presenceBase Food financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Base Food leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Base Food funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Base Food M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Base Food
What does Base Food do?
Base Food develops, manufactures, and sells a line of complete-nutrition staple foods — including BASE BREAD, BASE RAMEN, BASE YAKISOBA, BASE Cookies, BASE Pancake Mix, and BASE Pound Cake — designed so that a single serving delivers one-third of the daily requirement of 33 essential nutrients. The company primarily sells these products through a direct-to-consumer subscription model (継続コース) and through convenience stores, drugstores, and corporate-wellness channels, targeting health-conscious consumers, busy professionals, and athletes.
Is Base Food a public or private company?
Base Food is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently ipo.
When was Base Food founded?
Base Food was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Base Food based?
Base Food is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Base Food make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subscription / Recurring (継続コース) is the primary driver. The others are one-time / Ad-hoc Purchases, corporate / Office Sales (BASE FOOD for Office) and BASE FOOD Selection.
Who are Base Food's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oisix ra Daichi, Soylent, Huel and Jimmy Joy. Emerging players are Nature's Path, AG1 (Athletic Greens) and Smeal. Broad incumbents are Nissin Foods Holdings, Calbee and Meiji Holdings.
Does Base Food have an API?
No public API is recorded for Base Food.
What industry is Base Food in?
Base Food's product category is Complete Nutrition Packaged Foods. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADABAM, Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified), with a secondary code of AFAKAAAG, Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2050.