What API does

API Co., Ltd. is a Japanese private contract manufacturer headquartered in Gifu Prefecture, operating across four integrated business segments: health supplement OEM, pharmaceutical CMO/CDMO (antibiotics and biologics), branded bee products, and agricultural pollination services. The company serves B2B enterprise clients—health supplement brand owners requiring tablets/capsules/granules/beverage OEM manufacturing, and pharmaceutical companies requiring sterile injectable and biologics manufacturing—as well as B2C consumers of branded bee products and Japanese greenhouse farmers requiring pollination services.

The company's manufacturing platform spans 16+ facilities in Gifu Prefecture with specialized capabilities including S2 cell-based recombinant protein production, Brazilian green propolis extraction, high-containment antibiotic freeze-dried injectable lines, biologics manufacturing (UNIGEN subsidiary, US FDA-approved for recombinant influenza vaccine Flublok), an industry-first little PET bottle line (400 bottles/minute), and halal-certified supplement zones. Underlying technology relies on proprietary process IP, Japanese GMP licenses, and vertically integrated operations from raw bee product sourcing through finished dosage forms.

API generates revenue primarily through quote-based OEM/CMO contracts with multi-year terms, supplemented by branded retail product sales (BIOPOLLEN, royal jelly, propolis), functional food licensing (便秘週間/Kaichō Shūkan with Consumer Affairs Agency notification), and pollination service rentals (Rakuraku Kōhai series, Bee Fly). FY2025 (August 2025) consolidated net sales were 62,414 million JPY with operating profit of 4,971 million JPY across 1,718 employees. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales (Tokyo branch, Gifu HQ), pharmaceutical trade shows (CPHI Japan, INTERPHEX Week), scientific publications, and international channels through a Shanghai QC subsidiary and the US-bound UNIGEN vaccine manufacturing contract with Sanofi/Protein Sciences.

Name

API

Legal name

アピ株式会社

Website

https://api3838.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

API is a Japanese Gifu-based private contract manufacturer providing health supplement OEM, pharmaceutical CMO/CDMO (antibiotics and biologics/vaccines), branded bee products, and pollination services to enterprise clients and agricultural producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Supplement and Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing (OEM/CMO/CDMO)

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Apiculture (112910)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160)

akta.pro primary industry

Biologic API/Drug Substance Manufacturing Services (HLAAAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small-Molecule API Commercial Manufacturing (HLAGAHAB), Apiary Management Services (Contract Beekeeping, Hive Maintenance) (AFAEAHAJ)

Keywords

• Health supplement OEM
• Pharmaceutical contract manufacturing
• Biologics CDMO services
• Bee products manufacturing
• Pollination services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gifu

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Health Supplement OEM Manufacturing: API serves as an OEM/contract manufacturer for health supplement brands, producing tablets, capsules, granules, soft capsules, beverages, and functional foods. Revenue is generated through manufacturing fees per production lot, with pricing based on production volume, formulation complexity, and required certifications (GMP, halal). This is the company's primary business segment.
2. Pharmaceutical CMO/CDMO: Contract manufacturing of antibiotics (cephalosporin, cefem, carbapenem injectable vials via freeze-drying and powder filling) and biologics (vaccines, antibodies via mammalian/insect cell expression). Includes development services for formulation design, process validation, and regulatory filing support. Revenue generated through long-term manufacturing contracts and development fees.
3. Bee Products (Honey, Royal Jelly, Propolis): API manufactures and sells its own branded bee products (royal jelly, propolis, bee pollen/BIOPOLLEN, honey varieties) and provides pollination bees (Rakuraku Kouhai series) and Bee Fly (pollination fly) products to agricultural customers. Includes ingredient sales for food and beverage manufacturers.
4. Functional Food Product Registration: API develops and registers functional food products with Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency (快腸週間, 快腸週間EX under JIN KO U EAI functional claims). Revenue from ingredient supply and formulation licensing to brand owners.
5. Pet Food and Cosmetics: Pet food product planning, manufacturing, and import/export services. Cosmetics planning and manufacturing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

API is a comprehensive contract manufacturer (OEM/CMO/CDMO) for health supplements and pharmaceuticals, producing tablets, capsules, granules, soft capsules, beverages, and blow-fill packaging for health supplement brand companies. The company also manufactures sterile antibiotic injectables (cephalosporin, carbapenem) and biologics (recombinant proteins, vaccines, antibodies) for pharmaceutical clients. In parallel, API manufactures and sells its own branded bee products (royal jelly, propolis, BIOPOLLEN honey/bee pollen) and supplies pollination bees (Rakuraku Kouhai series) and Bee Fly pollination services to Japanese greenhouse farmers.

Product overview

API Co., Ltd. is a comprehensive health and pharmaceutical manufacturing company operating across four main business segments: (1) Health supplement OEM manufacturing with capabilities spanning tablets, capsules, granules, soft capsules, beverages, and blow-fill packaging; (2) Pharmaceutical CMO/CDMO services including antibiotics, biopharmaceuticals, and general APIs; (3) Bee product manufacturing and sales including royal jelly, propolis, and bee pollen with proprietary extraction and processing technologies; and (4) Agricultural support services including bee pollination products (らくらく交配シリーズ) and fly pollination (ビーフライ). The company operates multiple ISO/GMP-certified manufacturing facilities across Gifu Prefecture and provides contract development and manufacturing services to pharmaceutical and health supplement companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APIビーポーレン: ミツバチ花粉100%使用した健康食品（粒状・粉末）。ウェルネスフードジャパンアワード2018 ナチュラルフード部門銀賞を受賞
• 快腸週間 / 快腸週間EX
• APIビーポーレンパウダー
• らくらく交配シリーズ
• ビーフライ
• みつばちぐんぐんケストースβee

Products and services

• Health Supplement OEM Manufacturing (健康補助食品OEM事業) Comprehensive contract manufacturing (OEM) services for health supplements including planning, R&D, manufacturing, and quality assurance. Formats include tablets, hard/soft capsules, granules, drinks, and blow-fill packaging. Target customers are domestic and international health supplement brand companies.
• Pharmaceutical CMO/CDMO Services (医薬品CMO/CDMO事業) Contract pharmaceutical manufacturing and development services including antibiotics CMO, biopharmaceutical CDMO, general active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and clinical trial drug manufacturing. Targets domestic and international pharmaceutical companies.
• Antibiotic CMO (Cephem/Carbapenem Sterile Injectables)

Quantifiable outcome

• Functional food products 快腸週間 and 快腸週間EX (containing gennkwanin 5-O-β-primveroside and mangiferin from Jinko leaves) received consumer affairs agency notification for improving bowel movements in constipated individuals, confirmed through multiple human clinical trials and pharmacological studies.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Japan Maggot Company Co., Ltd. (株式会社ジャパンマゴットカンパニー)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Partnership for development and distribution of 'Bee Fly' (ビーフライ) - agricultural pollination flies (Hirozuki-bin-gae) as alternatives to honeybees for greenhouse pollination. API supplies Bee Fly products while Japan Maggot Company provides expertise in medical maggot (maggot therapy) breeding technology. Partnership addresses honeybee shortages in Japanese agriculture and supports medical maggot supply stability.
• Sanofi / Protein Sciences Corporation (PSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2018API's subsidiary UNIGEN entered into a Manufacturing Agreement with Sanofi subsidiary Protein Sciences Corporation (PSC) in April 2018 for manufacturing recombinant influenza vaccine (Flublok®) bulk drug substance at the UNIGEN Gifu Factory. The factory received US FDA approval in October 2017. The partnership enables API Group to contribute to global public health through vaccine supply and generates mid-to-long-term revenue growth.
• Cancer Research Foundation (公益財団法人がん研究会)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2015Joint R&D partnership with Cancer Research Foundation on podoplanin-targeted humanized antibody drug (API development code: AP201) for lung cancer and osteosarcoma. Project was selected for AMED ACT-MS 'Innovation Setup Scheme' in 2016. API's Nakamura Masaru serves as development task manager. The partnership aims to develop antibody therapeutics for recurrent cancer prevention.
• Gifu Pharmaceutical University (岐阜薬科大学)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry-government-academia partnership with Gifu Pharmaceutical University for research on Jinko leaves (Aquilaria species) constipation relief. Selected for JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) Original Seeds Development commissioned research, with 4 years of research leading to functional food notification for 快腸週間 products. API has co-presented at multiple Functional Health Food Research Seminars with university researchers.
• Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) / Science and Technology Research CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJST commissioned research program on 'functional food for mild constipation relief' (便秘を穏やかに改善する健康食品) with Gifu Pharmaceutical University and API as industry partner. The project successfully developed Jinko leaves functional ingredient and led to consumer affairs agency notification.
• Gifu University (岐阜大学)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research with Gifu University on bee product health benefits including royal jelly anti-depressant effects, propolis neuroprotective effects, and bee pollen allergen cross-reactivity. Multiple co-authored papers published in peer-reviewed journals. Researchers from Gifu University collaborate with API's Nagaragawa Research Center.
• Japanese Super-Food Association ((一社)日本スーパーフード協会)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for BIOPOLLEN product promotion and market development. Joint media tasting events and educational campaigns for bee pollen as a 'superfood' in Japan. API BIOPOLLEN was featured at association events.
• Astellas Pharma Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPI previously partnered with Astellas Pharma and UMN Pharma on cell culture-based influenza HA vaccine development. Following withdrawal of the HA vaccine approval application, API acquired UNIGEN from IHI and UMN Pharma in January 2017 to continue and expand vaccine manufacturing capabilities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Samsung Biologics: One of the world's largest biologics CDMOs by capacity, offering mammalian cell culture contract manufacturing globally; broad incumbent that competes with API's UNIGEN for large-scale biologics manufacturing contracts.
• Taiho Pharmaceutical: Major Japanese pharmaceutical company with significant in-house manufacturing of sterile and oral dosage forms; broad incumbent in Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturing with adjacent capabilities to API's CMO/CDMO offerings.
• Morinaga Milk Industry: Major Japanese food and health ingredient manufacturer with B2B functional ingredient supply; broad incumbent in the same health supplement and functional food category as API's health supplement OEM segment, with comparable Japanese customer base.
• Kobayashi Pharmaceutical: Leading Japanese OTC and health product manufacturer with extensive retail distribution; broad incumbent in the same Japanese health supplement and OTC category, with comparable consumer marketing capabilities and distribution reach.
• Lonza Group: World's largest biologics CDMO with mammalian and microbial cell culture manufacturing across global sites; a broad incumbent in the same biologics contract manufacturing category as API's UNIGEN, but with materially greater scale and global footprint.
• Tsumura & Co. Japan's largest Kampo (traditional medicine) manufacturer with significant plant extraction and pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities; broad incumbent in Japanese pharmaceutical manufacturing with adjacent processing technology and supply chain scale.

Direct peers

• CMIC Group: Japan's largest CRO with growing CDMO capabilities, providing pharmaceutical development and manufacturing services; directly comparable to API's biologics CDMO and clinical trial drug manufacturing offerings for Japanese and international pharmaceutical clients.
• Yamada Bee Farm: Japan's leading branded bee products company (royal jelly, propolis, honey, pollen); directly comparable to API's branded bee products business (BIOPOLLEN, royal jelly, propolis) in product category, target consumer, and ingredient sourcing approach.
• AGC Biologics: Global biologics CDMO offering mammalian cell culture and microbial expression contract manufacturing; directly comparable to API's UNIGEN biologics platform in service type, customer base (biopharma developers), and regulatory positioning.
• Bushu Pharmaceuticals: Japanese pharmaceutical contract manufacturer (CMO) offering sterile injectable and oral solid dose manufacturing services; directly comparable to API's pharmaceutical CMO/CDMO segment in capabilities, customer base (Japanese pharma), and regulatory positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about API