Minaro

What Minaro does

Minaro Co., Ltd. (株式会社ミナロ) is a privately held Japanese manufacturing and retail company headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, founded in August 2002 by Kenji Midorikawa and remaining employees after the predecessor wood-pattern workshop (operating since 1951) ceased general operations. The company operates four interrelated business lines: (1) chemical wood (ケミカルウッド), a polyurethane-based artificial wood sold via Japan's first order-cut estimation service backed by in-house CAD/CAM and CNC machining center capabilities, primarily serving product designers and manufacturers for prototyping and master models; (2) herbarium (ハーバリウム), preserved-flower-in-glass-bottle decorative materials sold through the Yokohama Herbarium retail store and online channels; (3) epoxy art (エポキシアート), epoxy resin art materials and workshops operated through the Epoxy Art Association launched in 2021; and (4) MDF cut-to-size services via the same online estimation platform. Technology is anchored in CNC machining, CAD/CAM workflows, and machining center processing rather than software or AI.

The company makes money through a mix of transactional one-time material sales (B2C and B2B via own e-commerce site mstore376.com, Amazon, Rakuten, Yahoo!, and Gift Mall), per-order cut-to-size services with online quoting, paid in-store workshop and experience classes (booked via jalan.net), wholesale supply to department stores such as Tokyu and Marui Family Mizai for seasonal campaigns, and a recurring subscription/community component through the Epoxy Art Association. Customer segments span individual hobbyists and craft enthusiasts (primary), professional manufacturers and product designers (primary), and handmade art instructors and small studios (secondary). The founder is also a prominent public figure in Japan's small-manufacturing community, organizing the All Japan Manufacturing Koma Battle and securing Mécénat Award recognition and major media coverage (Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, NHK, TEDxHimi) that indirectly support the brand.

The business operates exclusively within Japan, with a single-city operational footprint (Yokohama), 11–50 employees, and approximately 3,000 web-network customers as of 2012. Notable historical events include a 2012 10th-anniversary milestone with ~300 attendees, a 2019 Typhoon 15 flood that destroyed 2 vehicles, 3 machines, and measuring equipment (recovered by April 2020 with subsidy support), and the 2021 launch of the epoxy art vertical. Financial information including revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Minaro

Legal name

株式会社ミナロ

Website

https://minaro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Minaro Co., Ltd. is a Yokohama-based Japanese SME that manufactures and sells specialty craft and prototyping materials — chemical wood, MDF cut-to-size, herbarium, and epoxy art — serving hobbyists, product designers, and small studios through its own stores, workshops, and major Japanese marketplaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Craft and Prototyping Materials Manufacturing

NAICS

Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (326)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRALACAH

DIY Craft Kits & Project Kits Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Arts, Crafts & Hobby Supplies Retail

SECONDARYCRALACAK

Crafting Machines & Accessories Retail (Die-Cut, Cricut/Silhouette, 3D Pens)

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Arts, Crafts & Hobby Supplies Retail

Keywords

• Chemical wood materials
• Custom-cut prototyping
• Preserved flower crafts
• Epoxy resin art supplies
• Handmade workshop classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Yokohama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Material Sales: Sale of handmade craft materials including chemical wood, preserved flowers, epoxy resin supplies, and related accessories through e-commerce and physical retail. Both B2C and B2B sales.
2. Custom Cut-to-Size Services: Order-cut service for chemical wood and MDF materials cut to customer-specified dimensions. Customers receive online quotes and place orders for precisely sized materials.
3. Workshop and Experience Classes: In-store workshops for epoxy art and herbarium making. Customers pay to attend instructor-led sessions to create their own handmade art pieces.
4. Epoxy Art Association Membership and Licensing: Operation of the Epoxy Art Association (epoxyart-japan.com), providing training, certification, and community for epoxy resin artists.
5. Wholesale to Retail Partners: Products sold wholesale to department stores and retail outlets including Tokyu Department Store and Marui Family Mizai, where Minaro's herbarium products are carried in seasonal campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Minaro manufactures and sells specialty handmade craft and prototyping materials — polyurethane-based Chemical Wood (sold to dimension via custom-cut CNC service), Herbarium preserved-flower products, and Epoxy Art supplies — under multiple storefronts including ケミカルウッド壱番店, 横浜ハーバリウム弐番店, and the Mstore e-commerce brand. It also runs an MDF cut-to-size service via online estimation, operates the Epoxy Art Association community/certification program, and conducts in-store hands-on workshops. Customers include individual DIY hobbyists, manufacturers, product designers, and university R&D labs.

Product overview

Minaro operates as a unified handmade materials retail brand (ハンドメイド素材の店) offering multiple product lines: (1) Chemical Wood (ケミカルウッド) — polyurethane-based artificial wood sold via custom-cut orders through the ケミカルウッド壱番店 store and EC site; (2) MDF cutting services via online estimation; (3) Herbarium (ハーバリウム) — preserved flower products sold through the 横浜ハーバリウム弐番店 physical store and EC channel, including workshops; (4) Epoxy Art (エポキシアート) — epoxy resin art products and materials operated under the エポキシアート協会; and (5) its legacy woodworking/pattern block manufacturing business. The company also provides 3D machining services and CAD/CAM machining center capabilities for custom manufacturing support. The portfolio is unified under the オリジナルmarks "ケミカルウッド壱番店," "横浜ハーバリウム弐番店," and the main EC store ハンドメイド素材の店-Mstore-.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• エポキシアート協会: 自然乾燥で硬化するエポキシレジン(树脂)を使って作る様々なアート作品に用いる素材を取り扱う事業。
• 横浜ハーバリウム弐番店

Products and services

• Chemical Wood (ケミカルウッド) Polyurethane-based artificial wood sold primarily via custom-cut orders for prototyping, styling models, design models, master models, and test pieces. Properties include light weight, machinability, adhesion, colorability, and minimal aging. Sold through the ケミカルウッド壱番店 store and EC site to manufacturing companies, product designers, R&D departments, and university research labs.
• MDF Cut-to-Size Service Custom-sized MDF sheets supplied via an online estimation tool that lets customers self-serve quotes and place orders for precisely sized MDF material.
• Herbarium Products (ハーバリウム) Preserved (dry) flowers placed in glass bottles filled with specialized oil to create plant specimens used for interior decoration. Sold as kits and finished items through the 横浜ハーバリウム弐番店 physical store, the EC channel, and department store wholesale (Tokyu Department Store, Marui Family Mizai).
• Epoxy Art Materials (エポキシアート) Materials and supplies for artworks using naturally-hardening epoxy resin (tree-resin epoxy), sold via the EC store and the dedicated Epoxy Art Association (エポキシアート協会) site, and supported by an on-site sales and lesson space.
• In-Store Workshop and Experience Classes Instructor-led hands-on workshop sessions for creating epoxy resin art and herbarium pieces, held at the Yokohama Hakkeijima-area physical store. Sessions are priced per person per session and are reservable via the third-party booking site jalan.net.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved retail presence at major department stores (Tokyu, Marui) within 6 months of launching the herbarium product line
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2012NHK featured the All Japan Manufacturing Koma Battle (organized by Minaro's representative) on the Sakidori program, reaching approximately 8 million viewers. This was the highest-rated episode in the show's history, generating significant brand awareness for the manufacturing community.
• Yokohama City University (Keio University Medical School area)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Minaro is located near the Ishikawaguchi/KUMS area and collaborates with the local university/research community for product development and prototyping.
• TEDxHimiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2002Founder Kenji Midorikawa delivered a TEDx talk at Himi titled 'コマの奇跡 信じる力が生んだ物語' (The Miracle of Tops), building thought leadership and community visibility for Minaro and the broader manufacturing movement.
• Linkai Yokohama Kanazawa (Industrial Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinaro is located within the Linkai Yokohama Kanazawa industrial zone (Kanagawa), which houses approximately 1,000 manufacturing and wholesale companies. This cluster provides networking, collaborative opportunities, and shared resources for Minaro's operations.
• Amazon Japan / Rakuten / Yahoo! / Gift MallcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMinaro operates official branded storefronts on major Japanese marketplace platforms, extending reach to customers who prefer marketplace shopping over direct e-commerce.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hands (ハンズ / Tokyu Hands): Large Japanese DIY and lifestyle retail chain offering craft materials, prototyping supplies, and workshops. Overlaps with Minaro on hobbyist craft and prototyping materials, but operates a much broader general-merchandise portfolio.
• Tamiya (田宮模型): Established Japanese manufacturer of plastic models, RC vehicles, and precision modeling materials with global brand recognition. Comparable to Minaro on the prototyping/modeling materials and craft hobbyist customer base, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Seria (セリア): Major Japanese 100-yen retail chain with a sizable handmade craft materials assortment. Overlaps with Minaro on budget craft supplies and hobbyist traffic, though at a fundamentally different price-point and mass-market model.
• Loft (ロフト): Japanese lifestyle retail chain with dedicated craft and stationery sections across nationwide stores. Comparable to Minaro on craft materials retail footprint and target customer demographics, but operating a much wider general-merchandise portfolio.
• Daiso (ダイソー): Japan's largest 100-yen retailer with an extensive craft and DIY materials assortment and global store footprint. Comparable on craft hobbyist customer base and materials retail, though at mass-market scale and price points well below Minaro's specialty positioning.

Direct peers

• Pajico Co., Ltd. (パジコ): Japanese craft materials manufacturer focused on resin, mold-making, and handmade hobby supplies. Closely comparable to Minaro's epoxy art and resin craft materials business, with similar B2C/B2B distribution through hobbyist channels.
• Bellbe (ベルビー): Japanese specialty handmade craft retailer operating physical stores plus e-commerce, with workshop and community-driven merchandising. Directly comparable to Minaro's herbarium and epoxy art retail/workshop model.
• Clover Co., Ltd. (クロバー): Japanese manufacturer and retailer of handmade craft supplies (sewing, quilting, yarn crafts). Comparable to Minaro's craft materials business in serving individual hobbyists and small studios with branded specialty inputs.
• Yuzawaya (ユザワヤ): Japan's largest specialty handmade craft retailer with multiple stores and a strong e-commerce presence. Directly comparable to Minaro on craft materials retail, workshop offerings, and the hobbyist/B2C customer base.

Others

• MonotaRO (モノタロウ): Large Japanese B2B industrial MRO and prototyping materials e-commerce platform. Adjacent to Minaro's chemical wood and MDF order-cut business serving manufacturing and R&D customers, but operating a much broader industrial supply catalog without specialty craft focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/minaro376
• Facebookfacebook.com/minaro376

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Minaro