What Agri Innovation Design does

Agri Innovation Design (株式会社AgriInnovationDesign) is a Japanese regional revitalization and agricultural support company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Higashikagura Town, Hokkaido, with offices in Tokyo and Sapporo. The company operates the longest-running marche (outdoor farmers market) in Japan, including the weekly Hills Marche at Ark Hills Akasaka since 2009, the Thursday Pop-Up Market at KITTE Marunouchi, and the monthly TOKYO TORCH Market near Tokyo Station. It serves three primary customer segments: Japanese municipalities seeking regional revitalization consulting and event production, individual farmers and agricultural producers needing business development support, and urban Tokyo consumers purchasing directly from regional producers.

The company's core competency is operational — it manages physical event logistics, vendor relationships across 100+ municipalities, and a curated network of premium Tokyo real estate partnerships with Mori Building and Mitsubishi Estate. Revenue is generated through diversified streams: commission-based fees on marche vendor sales (12% for food, 15% for crafts), subscription services (Waki Juku online salon at ¥5,500/month capped at 60 members), government-contracted consulting and seminars (¥150,000–¥450,000 per session), micro-antenna shop rentals (¥150,000/month plus 20% sales commission), e-commerce through the Smile Marche Project / Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition (13,000+ sets sold since April 2020), and managed services via the Higashikagura Town Regional Trading Company handling the Tane to Mi Select brand, school cafeteria supply, and green tourism.

Beyond marche operations, AID has developed a broader regional revitalization model that includes repurposing a closed elementary school into 'Higashikagura University' (a work/learn/play complex), launching the Aspara Night restaurant series in Tokyo to build 'relationship population' between rural producers and urban consumers, providing multi-year government contracts (Kagoshima Prefecture, Ono Town Fukushima, Ryugasaki City Ibaraki, Kunneppu Town Hokkaido), and operating the recently established Kunneppu community-building company 株式会社ぷ. The founder's published textbook on marche operations and consistent national media coverage (NHK, Toyo Keizai Online, Hokkaido Shimbun) establish industry authority. The company has no public API, no proprietary software platform, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and operates with no disclosed institutional funding or parent entity.

Name

Agri Innovation Design

Legal name

株式会社AgriInnovationDesign

Website

https://nougyou.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Agri Innovation Design is a Japanese regional revitalization and agricultural support company that operates Tokyo-based marche markets, provides consulting to over 100 municipalities, and helps farmers access urban consumers through physical events, e-commerce, and business training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Community Development Services

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agriculture, Farming & AgriTech Shows Organizers (THAHABAM), Produce Markets & Greengrocers (CRAHAHAA)

Keywords

• Farmers market operations
• Regional revitalization consulting
• Agricultural business support
• Local government consulting
• Specialty food e-commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marche Operations & Management: Operates multiple physical marche markets in Tokyo (Hills Marche, KITTE Marche, TOKYO TORCH Market, W atera Marche, Hamachi Marche). Revenue is generated through commission fees taken from vendor sales — typically 12% of sales for food vendors and 15% for craft vendors, with minimum booth fees of 3,000–5,000 yen per event depending on the venue. This is the company's most prominent and long-running revenue stream (since 2009).
2. Agricultural Support Services (Seminars & Consulting): Provides business management seminars, consulting, and training programs for farmers and agricultural businesses. Pricing ranges from 150,000 yen per lecture (90 min) to 300,000 yen per seminar (240 min). Also operates Waki Juku online salon for farmers at 5,500 yen/month per member, creating a recurring revenue stream.
3. Online Salon (Waki Juku): Monthly subscription-based online community for agricultural business owners. 5,500 yen/month per member (tax included), capped at 60 members. Provides online lectures, networking events, consultations, and field visits. Revenue is recurring and predictable.
4. Regional Trading Company Operations (Higashikagura Town): Operates Higashikagura Town Regional Trading Company (東神楽町地域商社), handling brand management (種と実 Select), product development, agricultural product distribution, local consumption in school cafeterias, regional logistics, and tourism (green tourism). Revenue derived from product sales margins, consignment fees, and commissioned fulfillment.
5. Regional Revitalization Projects & Consulting: Provides long-term regional revitalization consulting to local governments. Engages as regional revitalization promoters, establishing local trading companies, operating unused school repurposing projects (e.g., Higashikagura University), managing local events, and running agricultural producer support programs under government contracts.
6. Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition (E-commerce): Operates the Smile Marche Project / Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition (smilemarche.online), selling Hokkaido food products online. Revenue from product sales margins. Project partners with Yamato Transport for logistics and AEON Mall for physical presence. Also sells regional specialty sets (5,000 yen+) and manages limited-time pop-up stores.
7. Event-Based Promotions for Local Governments: Provides promotion programs for local governments using marche venues, kitchen cars, and food events in Tokyo. Services start from 200,000 yen per program (content and number of locations/frequency variable). Local governments pay to use the company's physical and digital platforms for regional promotion.
8. Micro-Antenna Shop Rental (Sousei Marche Sapporo): Rental of booth space within Sousei Marche stores to local governments seeking a presence in Sapporo. Priced at 150,000 yen/month per booth plus 20% sales commission. Offers faster/simpler market entry than traditional antenna shops, with no initial investment required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Agri Innovation Design produces and operates weekly/march events (marches/markets) in Tokyo connecting regional farmers and food producers directly with urban consumers, taking commissions on vendor sales. The company also provides regional revitalization consulting and operates agricultural business support services including seminars (150,000–450,000 yen per session), the Waki Juku subscription-based online salon (5,500 yen/month), and an e-commerce store (Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition) for Hokkaido food producers. Additional offerings include micro-antenna shop rentals for municipalities, regional trading company operations in Higashikagura, and management of the repurposed Higashikagura University facility.

Product overview

Agri Innovation Design operates a multi-faceted rural revitalization and agricultural support business in Japan. The core offering is Japan's leading marche (outdoor market) business, operating 5 regular Tokyo marche venues (Hills Marche, KITTE Marche, TOKYO TORCH Market, Hamacho Marche, and formerly Wateras Marche) where farmers and food producers sell directly to urban consumers. The company also runs Higashikagura University, a repurposed closed school facility providing workspace, learning, and lodging; operates SouseiMarche retail stores; manages the Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition e-commerce platform; provides agricultural business consulting through seminars, the Waki Juku online salon, and Kagoshima training programs; and runs regional trading company initiatives for Higashikagura Town. Key brands include the Tane to Mi Select regional product brand and the Smile Marche Project for COVID-era food business support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 東神楽大学: A multi-purpose complex in a repurposed closed school in Higashikagura Town, Hokkaido, offering co-working, learning, lodging, and guest house facilities. Theme: 'creating opportunities in rural areas greater than those in cities.'
• SouseiMarche
• スマイルマルシェプロジェクト / Smile Marche Project
• 東神楽町地域商社 (Higashikagura Town Regional Trading Company)
• 種と実 Select (タネトミ Select)

Products and services

• Marche Business Operations (Hills Marche, KITTE Marche, TOKYO TORCH Market, Hamacho Marche) Operation of weekly, monthly, and quarterly outdoor marche (farmers markets) in premium Tokyo locations connecting regional farmers and food producers directly with urban consumers; vendor commission-based model (12% food, 15% crafts).
• Waki Juku (脇舎) Online Salon Monthly subscription online salon (5,500 yen/month, max 60 members) for agricultural business owners featuring online lectures (2nd Tuesday), networking events (4th Tuesday), individual/group consultations, and field visits to teach business management skills.
• Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition (Smile Marche Project) E-commerce store selling Hokkaido specialty food products (5,000 yen and up sets) nationwide, with logistics partnership with Yamato Transport enabling flat 950-yen shipping Hokkaido to Tokyo.
• Agricultural Business Seminars and Public Lectures Public lectures (90 min, 150,000 yen), seminars (180 min, 200,000 yen; 240 min, 300,000 yen), and package seminars on marche business growth, business models, sales expansion, and 6th industrialization for farmers/agribusiness.
• Higashikagura Town Regional Trading Company (東神楽町地域商社) Regional trading company handling brand management (Tane to Mi Select), product development, agricultural product distribution, school cafeteria supply, regional logistics, green tourism, and hometown tax donation promotion for Higashikagura Town.
• Higashikagura University (東神楽大学) Multi-purpose complex offering co-working space, offices, guest houses (Hanakotoba), tent sauna, share kitchen, and a retail purchase department; co-managed with partners such as Forest Wings Asahikawa.
• SouseiMarche Retail Store Direct retail store concept selling fresh and processed food from regional producers; historical locations include Sapporo Factory and AEON Mall Asahikawa (closed by 2024); limited products now available at Higashikagura University shop.
• Micro-Antenna Shop at SouseiMarche Sapporo Rental of booth space (150,000 yen/month, 1,800,000 yen/year) within SouseiMarche to local governments for Hokkaido market presence, with 20% sales commission and optional full management service (additional 90,000 yen/month).
• Marche Support Project for Local Governments (Kitchen Car Program) Turn-key kitchen car promotion program starting from 200,000 yen enabling local governments to reach Tokyo consumers via the company's marche venues; includes menu development, sales, promotional materials, and post-project reporting.
• HAL Market Direct-to-consumer vegetable market established by Higashikagura Agri Lab; operates seasonally in Higashikagura Town.
• Sweets Vendor Startup Support Project (お菓子屋さんスタートアップ支援事業) Subscription-based support service combining Anoba Design's share-kitchen manufacturing infrastructure with Tokyo marche venues to enable zero-initial-investment sweets vendor businesses.
• Higashikagura University Guest House 'Hanakotoba' (花ことば) Rental guest house accommodation in renovated former teachers' housing at Higashikagura University.
• MISE-demo Unmanned Store Unmanned store deployment at commercial facilities to extend reach of regional Hokkaido products.
• Higashikagura Aspara Night (東神楽アスパラナイト) Annual Tokyo restaurant event held each May featuring same-day-harvested Higashikagura asparagus flown from Asahikawa Airport; designed to build relationship population between urban consumers and rural producers.
• Tane to Mi Select (種と実 Select) Brand Official brand certification label for Higashikagura Town's premium agricultural products and processed goods, managed by the regional trading company.
• Online Membership 'Yokei na Osewa no Chiho Soseiron' (余計なお世話の地方創生論) Online membership program providing real-time local revitalization news and know-how content.
• Higashikagura Agri Lab (株式会社東神楽アグリラボ) Investor-backed entity established with 21 founding investors including young farmers; predecessor entity to current Agri Innovation Design subsidiaries focused on farmer growth through hands-on business learning.
• Regional Revitalization Consulting for Local Governments Long-term consulting services for Japanese local governments covering regional trading company establishment, unused school repurposing, producer support programs, event production, and tourism strategy under government contracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80%+ repeat customer rate at Hills Marche, demonstrating sustained consumer engagement with physical events
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• Forest Wings Asahikawa (了一般社團法人フォレストウイングス旭川)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022A business partnership with Forest Wings Asahikawa, a local sports organization, to utilize and promote the Higashikagura University facility. Their badminton-related activities bring visitors to the repurposed school and create community programming. Jointly announced with a press conference. The partnership extends the use of the company's repurposed school facility and integrates sports community into the regional revitalization model.
• Hiragishi Hire Co., Ltd. (平岸ハイヤー株式会社)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2020Hiragishi Hire, a regional taxi company in Sapporo, partnered with the company as the 'No. 1 marche expert in Japan' to co-host the Hiragishi Marche. The taxi company's community-focused approach aligned with the company's community-building vision for marche markets. The partnership created a new type of community-centered local marche in the Hiragishi area of Sapporo.
• Epos Card (エポスカード)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2020Epos Card provides preferential treatment to its cardholders for purchases on the Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition, as part of the Smile Marche Project's partnership program with card companies and service providers.
• AEON Card (イオンカード)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2020AEON Card provides preferential treatment to its cardholders for purchases on the Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition, supporting the Smile Marche Project's reach to AEON's large customer base.
• Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. (ヤマト運輸株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Yamato Transport is a core project partner in the Smile Marche Project / Online Hokkaido Products Exhibition. Their logistics partnership enables affordable nationwide shipping (Hokkaido to Tokyo: 950 yen flat rate), making online sales of Hokkaido products economically viable for consumers. This partnership was critical to the success of the 13,000+ set sales and the overall viability of the e-commerce initiative.
• AEON Mall Asahikawa Ekimae (イオンモール旭川駅前)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020AEON Mall Asahikawa Ekimae is a project partner in the Smile Marche Project, providing physical retail space and promotional support for Hokkaido food producers. The mall's location near Asahikawa Station provides high foot traffic for product sales and brand exposure.
• Asahikawa Shinyo Kinko (旭川信用金庫)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Asahikawa Shinyo Kinko is a financial partner in the Smile Marche Project, supporting Hokkaido food producers with financing and business advisory services alongside the company's sales and promotion activities.
• SoftBank Corporation (ソフトバンク株式会社)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoftBank Corporation's Co-creation Project Promotion Office participates in the Smile Marche Project as a supporter, contributing to the initiative's reach and credibility through its corporate network.
• Hokkaido Prefecture (北海道)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHokkaido Prefecture acts as a co-sponsor of the Smile Marche Project, providing official endorsement and promotional support for the initiative supporting Hokkaido food producers.
• Hokkaido Board of Education (北海道教育厅)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHokkaido Board of Education entered into an agreement with the company under the Hokkaido Family Education Support Corporate System (北海道家庭教育サポート企業等制度), demonstrating the company's broader community engagement beyond agriculture and regional development.
• Anoba Design Inc. (株式会社アノバデザイン)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Anoba Design, operator of share kitchens across Tokyo (Nihonbashi, Asakusabashi, Kiyosumi-shirakawa, etc.), to launch the 'Sweets Vendor Startup Support Project.' The partnership combines Anoba's manufacturing infrastructure (share kitchens with food business permits) with the company's Tokyo marche venues, enabling zero-initial-investment sweets vendor businesses.
• Mori Building Corporation (森ビル株式会社)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMori Building Corporation is the organizer of Hills Marche, with the company serving as the secretariat/operator. This long-term partnership (since 2010) is the cornerstone of the company's marche business, providing premium physical venue access in Akasaka/Roppongi.
• Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. (三菱地所株式会社)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMitsubishi Estate is the organizer of TOKYO TORCH Market, with the company serving as secretariat/operator. The partnership provides access to Japan's most prominent station-area plaza (TOKYO TORCH Park at Tokyo Station), enabling high-visibility regional product promotions.
• Marche Market Research Institute (一般社団法人マルシェ・マーケット研究所)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-organizer of the KITTE Mae Underground Marche with the Marche Market Research Institute. The partnership enables regular marche operations at Japan's most famous post office building adjacent to Tokyo Station.
• NPO Farmers' Children Network (NPO法人農家のこせがれネットワーク)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-standing cooperation with the NPO Farmers' Children Network since the early days of Hills Marche (around 2010). The NPO was initially the secretariat for Hills Marche before the company took over. The relationship continues as a cooperating organization.
• ENEOS Corporation (ENEOS株式会社)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with ENEOS to hold the ENEOS Marche at the newly opened ENEOS Platform Hitachinoshio SS in Ibaraki Prefecture (March 2024), expanding the company's marche operations beyond Tokyo into regional commercial facilities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Marche Market Research Institute: Non-profit organization and co-organizer of the KITTE Marche. Comparable in operating regular Tokyo marche markets and supporting farmers through direct retail channels.
• Satoyume: Regional revitalization consulting firm working with municipalities on tourism, agriculture, and local economy development. Comparable in B2G consulting operating model and target customer base.
• Vivid Garden (Tabechoku): Operates Tabechoku, Japan's leading online farmer-to-consumer marketplace. Directly comparable as a tech-enabled platform connecting regional producers to urban consumers, with overlapping producer and consumer segments.
• MyFarm: Agricultural experience-sharing and farm consulting company operating across Japan. Directly comparable in providing educational services to farmers, agricultural business support, and rural revitalization initiatives.
• Farmers' Children Network (NPO): NPO that was the original secretariat for Hills Marche before AgriInnovationDesign. Comparable in operating farmers' markets and supporting the producer-to-consumer urban retail value chain.
• AgriMedia: Agricultural consulting and rural revitalization company operating ShareFarm and other farming-related ventures. Comparable in serving local governments and farmers with business development and consulting services.

Broad incumbents

• Mori Building: Real estate developer and organizer of Hills Marche at Ark Hills. Comparable as a venue partner providing physical retail space for urban-rural food experiences, though not a direct competitor in the organization's core services.
• AEON Mall: Major shopping mall operator that hosts pop-up marche events and Smile Marche Project partner. Comparable as a venue provider for regional product promotion, though operating at vastly larger scale.

Others

• Yamato Transport: Strategic logistics partner for the Smile Marche Project. Comparable as an enabling infrastructure provider that makes the company's e-commerce economics viable through nationwide flat-rate shipping.

Emerging players

• Pompa: Online farmer-to-consumer marketplace for local vegetable boxes. Comparable in connecting farmers to urban consumers through e-commerce, with an overlapping producer/customer segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AgriInnovation1
• Facebookfacebook.com/studio.nougyou.tv
• Instagraminstagram.com/aid_marche

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Agri Innovation Design