Organic Nico

What Organic Nico does

Organic Nico (株式会社オーガニックnico) is a Kyoto-based integrated organic agriculture company founded in 2010 by Shin Nakamura. It operates a dual structure comprising an Organic Vegetable Production & Sales Department and an Agri-Science Department for R&D, combining six revenue lines: organic JAS-certified vegetable production and sales, cultivation/soil-improvement/project consulting for professional farmers, the Kameoka Organic Agriculture School and seminar services, contract research for agricultural materials, sales of proprietary inputs and equipment (compost, biostimulants, UVB and AGRI RED LED systems), and home planter kits ("nicopo").

The company's technical foundation is a "data-driven organic agriculture" methodology built around solar heat soil disinfection (太陽熱養生処理), BLOF-theory fertilization, CO2 fumigation, and light-based pest control. Production volumes disclosed include ~5,200 kg/year of strawberries, 24,000 kg/year of mini tomatoes, and 4,000 kg/year of baby leaf across small cultivated areas. Outputs are validated against documented performance benchmarks — organic mini tomato yields of 13.5–14.0 t/10a versus an 8.6 t/10a conventional national average, and carrot sugar content of 9–13 degrees versus typical 7–8.

Commercial reach is concentrated in the Kansai region of Japan with retail distribution through AEON stores, Kyoto Co-op, department stores, and restaurants, supplemented by online marketplaces (Tabechoku, Pocket Marche), Kyoto City furusato-nozei, and farm-based experiential events (strawberry picking, melon shareholder programs). The company also operates internationally through a Shanghai subsidiary (D-LIFELOGY, est. 2020) and consulting projects in Wuxi and Beijing, China. Funding to date consists of an August 2022 equity raise of approximately $811,587 and a second FUNDINNO crowdfunding round launched in November 2024.

Name

Organic Nico

Legal name

株式会社オーガニックnico

Website

https://organic-nico.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Organic Nico is a Kyoto-based integrated organic agriculture company that produces JAS-certified vegetables, runs an agricultural school, and provides consulting, contract research, and proprietary inputs to professional farmers and consumers in Japan and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Agriculture

NAICS

Tobacco Farming (111910)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Fruit & Tree Nut Farming (Orchards) (AFAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic Greenhouse & Protected Crop Farming (High Tunnels, Greenhouses) (AFAGAKAD), Fresh Organic Produce Wholesale (AFAIAJAA)

Keywords

• Organic vegetable production
• Agricultural consulting services
• Soil solarization
• Organic farming education
• Organic strawberry cultivation

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Organic Vegetable Production and Sales: Production and sale of organic JAS-certified vegetables including strawberries, cherry tomatoes, baby leaves, spinach, komatsuna, okra, Kyoto negi, and other seasonal vegetables. Also includes processed products like tomato juice. Revenue from wholesale to retailers and direct sales.
2. Consulting Services: Cultivation consulting, soil improvement consulting, and project consulting services for professional farmers. Weekly remote consultations plus monthly on-site guidance. Also offers 'Organic Agriculture Q&A' time-based consulting.
3. School and Seminar Services: Organic agriculture training programs including the Kameoka Organic Agriculture School (operated with Bio Kameoka), online seminars, practical training, and custom programs for local governments and companies.
4. Contract Research Services: Scientific evaluation and verification of pesticides, materials, and equipment for organic agriculture. Includes unused resource utilization, data acquisition for commercialization, and credible data for sales support. Services include field trials, laboratory tests, and soil analysis.
5. Materials and Equipment Sales: Sales of agricultural materials (compost products, biostimulant materials like ROOT QUEEN) and equipment (UVB lamps, AGRI RED LED systems). Materials are evaluated and verified by the Agri-Science Department and used by the Production Department.
6. Planter Kit Sales: Sale of 'nicopo' planter kits for home organic cultivation, including strawberry seedlings. Features organic seedlings, solar heat-treated regenerative soil, and expert-authored cultivation guidebooks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Organic Nico is a Kyoto-based organic agriculture company that produces and sells Organic JAS-certified vegetables (strawberries, mini tomatoes, baby leaf greens, spinach, okra, Kyoto negi) and strawberry seedlings using a data-driven organic farming methodology. Beyond farm production, the company operates six business lines: organic vegetable production and sales, B2B consulting for professional farmers, agricultural schools and seminars, contract research on agricultural materials and equipment, sales of validated agricultural inputs and light-based pest control devices, and home-use planter kits (nicopo).

Product overview

Organic Nico operates as an integrated organic agriculture company comprising six interconnected business lines: (1) organic vegetable and strawberry seedling production and sales (core production with organic JAS certification), (2) nicopo planter kit sales for home/organizational use, (3) consulting services covering cultivation, soil improvement, and project planning, (4) school and seminar services including the Kameoka Organic Agriculture School, (5) commissioned research services evaluating agricultural materials and equipment, and (6) materials and equipment sales (fertilizers, biostimulants, light-based pest control devices). The company also produces processed products including tomato juice. All operations are underpinned by a 'data-driven organic agriculture' methodology combining soil science, cultivation data, and scientific validation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Vegetable Production and Sales Production and direct/wholesale sale of Organic JAS-certified vegetables including strawberries, mini tomatoes, baby leaf greens, spinach, okra, and Kyoto kujo green onions, grown using data-driven organic farming methods combining solar heat treatment, BLOF theory fertilization, and light-based pest control.
• Organic Strawberry Seedling Production and Sales Production and sale of organic strawberry seedlings (Yotsuboshi variety) in 200-cell tray or 7.5cm pot formats, raised in dedicated nursery houses using Organic JAS-compliant methods, sold to professional farmers.
• nicopo Planter Kit Home-use organic strawberry cultivation kit featuring organically raised seedlings, a cultivation guidebook, and soil prepared with the company's solar heat treatment regeneration method, sold to families, schools, and welfare facilities.
• Organic Farming Consulting Services Three-tiered consulting covering cultivation guidance, soil improvement, and project planning for organic farming operations, with weekly remote sessions and monthly on-site visits, supporting new entrants and existing farmers transitioning to organic methods.
• School and Seminar Services Educational services including the Kameoka Organic Agriculture School (operated jointly with Bio Kameoka), organic farming seminars, online training, and on-site practical instruction covering topics from soil preparation to business management.
• Contract Research Services Scientific evaluation and testing of pesticides, materials, and equipment for organic agriculture, offering field trials, laboratory analysis, and data-driven assessment to support product commercialization for agricultural companies.
• Materials and Equipment Sales Sales of compost and fertilizer products (堆肥), biostimulant materials (ROOT QUEEN endophytic yeast material), and light-based pest control equipment (UVB straight-tube lamps and AGRI RED LED systems) validated through the company's own production and research operations.
• Tan no Tomato Juice Organic JAS-certified 100% tomato juice made from the company's mini tomatoes, processed at an organic-certified facility with no added water, available as a regional gift through Kyoto City's furusato-nozei hometown tax donation program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organic minitomato yield: 14.0 t/10a (2021), approximately 1.6x the national average of 8.6 t/10a for conventional winter-spring cultivation
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• 株式会社ビオかめおか (Bio Kameoka Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Joint operation of Kameoka Organic Agriculture School. Established May 2023. Officer 2, contract employees 2 (as of July 2025). Business includes Kameoka Organic Agriculture School operation, Kameoka Organic Agriculture District management, and agricultural product procurement and sales. Website: kameoka-organicschool.jp
• 株式会社ホタルクス (Hotarux Co., Ltd.)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Contracted testing and evaluation of agricultural red LED AGRI-RED for electric lighting effects and thrips behavior inhibition in strawberry cultivation. Testing period November 2022 to April 2023 demonstrated effectiveness of red LED for both yield improvement and pest control.
• D-LIFELOGY (SHANGHAI) Co., Ltd. (迪福洛企業発展（上海）有限公司)coreOthers · 1 April 2020Subsidiary established April 2020 with 4 employees (as of July 2024). Headquarters in Shanghai, office in Wuxi. Primarily designs and installs greenhouses and irrigation systems. General Manager: Nakamura Shin (中村新).
• オムロン株式会社 (OMRON Corporation)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2018Collaborative research on non-destructive image analysis and machine learning for minitomato leaf area index estimation. Study period November 2018 to March 2019. Achieved R²=0.97 correlation in learning results and R²=0.92 in verification.
• 京都大学生存圏研究所 (Kyoto University Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2018Collaborative research on soil microbiome differences between reduction disinfection and solar heat treatment methods. Study period August 2018 to February 2019. Used genomics analysis to identify soil microbial diversity differences.
• 株式会社ファーマフーズ (Pharma Foods Co., Ltd.)majorTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped endophytic yeast microbial material ROOT QUEEN. Company founded 1997 in Kyoto as biotech venture. Pharma Foods conducts research and development while Organic Nico verified effectiveness in strawberry cultivation, demonstrating sugar content maintenance effect in winter.
• 京都市 (Kyoto City Government)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for furusato nouzei (hometown tax donation) program. Organic Nico's organic strawberries (おふくわけいちご) and tomato juice (丹のトマトジュース) are registered as return gifts for Kyoto City tax donations.
• 食べチョク (Tabechoku)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace partnership for direct sales of organic produce to consumers.
• ポケットマルシェ (Pocket Marche)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace partnership for direct sales of organic produce to consumers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Plenty: US-based vertical farming company applying data-driven, technology-led indoor agriculture at scale. Relevant comparable for Organic Nico's greenhouse-driven strawberry/melon production and its controlled-environment agriculture methodology, though at much larger capital intensity.
• Terra Smile (テラスマイル): Japanese AgTech company offering farm management SaaS and data-driven consulting to professional farmers. Partial overlap with Organic Nico's contract research and consulting business, particularly the data analytics and precision agriculture components.

Broad incumbents

• Pal System (パルシステム): Large Japanese consumer cooperative delivering organic and naturally-grown produce, groceries, and prepared foods to members nationwide. Competes with Organic Nico for retail shelf presence and consumer mindshare in the organic segment.
• AeroFarms: Established US indoor vertical farming operator using proprietary aeroponic technology and data-driven growing systems. Comparable to Organic Nico's protected cultivation approach and data-first mindset, though operating in a different geography and at a much larger capital and scale profile.
• Daichi wo Mamoru Kai (大地を守る会): Long-established Japanese organic produce distribution cooperative and one of the original organic subscription businesses in Japan. Overlaps with Organic Nico's organic JAS-certified wholesale and direct-to-consumer retail channels but operates nationally across a much larger producer network.
• Oisix (オイシックス・ラ・大地): Major Japanese organic and natural foods subscription/delivery service under Oisix ra Daichi. Competes for the same consumer wallet share as Organic Nico's direct-to-consumer produce and planter kit lines, but at national scale and with much broader assortment.

Regional players

• Tokachi Senmonten (十勝専業農場 / リーファーム関連): Regional organic and specialty crop producers in Hokkaido (and similar prefectures) supplying restaurants and retail. Regional_PLAYER relative to Organic Nico because they operate in a different geography and at smaller scale, but share the organic JAS-certified production + restaurant supply model.

Direct peers

• Watami Farm (ワタミファーム): Subsidiary of Watami Corporation operating organic and low-pesticide contract farming in Japan, supplying restaurants and retail. Comparable to Organic Nico's production and wholesale distribution model, but with a parent company's balance sheet backing it.
• Sakanonaka (坂ノ途中): Kyoto-based organic vegetable subscription and farming company that sources from a network of small organic farmers and delivers direct to consumers. Highly comparable to Organic Nico in geography (Kyoto), customer (health-conscious urban consumers), and core activity (organic produce + farmer relationships).
• My Farm (マイファーム): Japan-based agricultural consulting, farming experience, and education company that operates agricultural schools, manages share farms, and runs consulting for new farmers. Closely overlaps Organic Nico's Kameoka Organic Agriculture School, consulting, and experiential farm business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/organic_nico

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Organic Nico