JA Fukuoka Yame

What JA Fukuoka Yame does

JA Fukuoka Yame (福岡八女農業協同組合) is a Japanese agricultural cooperative (農業協同組合) that serves the Yame region of southern Fukuoka Prefecture, specifically Yame City, Chikugo City, and Hirokawa Town (combined area ~562 km²). Formed through a merger around 1996 and celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, the cooperative operates as a member-owned, not-for-profit association organized under Japan's Agricultural Cooperative Act. It serves member farmers, local residents, and wholesale agricultural buyers.

The cooperative's core operations span specialty agricultural production, financial services, and community welfare. Agricultural products include premium Yame green tea (Yabukita variety, ~380 tons annual shipment), gerbera flowers (~6.46 million stems annually across ~160 varieties on 6 hectares), spray chrysanthemums (~5.74 million stems), and a range of fruits and vegetables (mandarin oranges, grapes, pears, peaches, kiwis, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, bamboo shoots). Beyond agriculture, JA Fukuoka Yame operates JA Bank branches (deposits, loans, internet banking, investment products), JA Kyosai insurance services, A-Coop retail stores (linked to the A-Coop Kyushu network), Service Stations for fuel, an elderly daycare center (茶と花の里), a funeral center (まごころ会館), real estate services, and agricultural education through the 今こそ農業塾 program. Distribution occurs through physical stores, the JA national marketing system, the Zennoh Safety System for food traceability, and the 八女屋 (Yameya) e-commerce platform.

Revenue is generated through transaction fees on agricultural product sales, recurring fees from banking and insurance products, and transaction fees from retail, welfare, funeral, and real estate services. The go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer via physical facilities and event-driven via community engagement (cooking classes, agricultural experience programs, seasonal festivals at the Yo Ran No venue). Marketing leverages Instagram (@ja_fukuokayame), Cookpad recipe collaborations, the community paper "JAFY Smile," and the PR magazine "Wing." The organization participates in the national JA cooperative network through JA Bank Fukuoka, A-Coop Kyushu, and JA National (Zennoh).

Name

JA Fukuoka Yame

Legal name

福岡八女農業協同組合

Website

https://jafyame.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

JA Fukuoka Yame is a member-owned Japanese agricultural cooperative serving Yame City, Chikugo City, and Hirokawa Town in Fukuoka Prefecture. It markets specialty crops (tea, gerbera, chrysanthemums, fruits), provides JA Bank and JA Kyosai financial services, and operates retail, welfare, and funeral services for local farmers and residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Yamae

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Product Sales: The cooperative collects, markets, and sells agricultural products produced by its member farmers. Key products include Yame tea, gerbera flowers, spray chrysanthemums, mandarin oranges, grapes, pears, peaches, kiwis, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, bamboo shoots, and other regional specialty products.
2. JA Bank Services: Financial services including deposits, loans, insurance, internet banking, and investment products offered through the JA Bank network to local residents and farmers.
3. JA Kyosai (Insurance): Life and non-life insurance products provided to members and local community residents.
4. Retail Store Operations: A-Coop retail stores selling daily necessities, agricultural supplies, and consumer goods to local residents.
5. Welfare and Funeral Services: Daycare center '茶と花の里', funeral services 'まごころ館', and real estate services provide additional revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JA Fukuoka Yame is a regional agricultural cooperative that collects, grades, and markets agricultural products (Yame tea, gerbera, spray chrysanthemum, fruits, vegetables) from its member farmers, while also providing banking services through JA Bank, life and non-life insurance through JA Kyosai, retail through A-Coop stores, elderly daycare, funeral services, real estate, and agricultural education programs to residents across Yame City, Chikugo City, and Hirokawa Town.

Product overview

JA Fukuoka Yame is an agricultural cooperative serving the Yame region of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The organization offers a diverse portfolio of specialty agricultural products including premium Yame green tea, gerbera flowers, and spray chrysanthemums, alongside financial services through JA Bank, insurance through JA Kyosai, and community welfare services including elderly care facilities and funeral services. The cooperative operates across Yame City, Chikugo City, and Hirokawa Town, supporting local farmers and community members through agricultural education programs and direct product sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ジャフィーくん (JAFY): Mascot character of JA Fukuoka Yame named after the initials JAFY (JA FUKUOKA YAME), depicted as the 'Spirit of Sun and Earth' in green (vegetables & tea), orange (fruits), blue (water), pink (flowers), and yellow (rich life) colors.
• JAFY Smile
• Wing

Products and services

• Yame Tea (八女茶) Premium green tea cultivated in the Yame region, known for its rich umami, full-bodied taste, and refreshing aroma. Grown using methods that prioritize quality over yield, marketed to wholesale buyers and sold via the Yameya e-commerce platform.
• Gerbera (ガーベラ) Cut gerbera flowers cultivated across approximately 6 hectares in greenhouses in Yame City and Hirokawa Town, with around 200 varieties grown year-round. JA Fukuoka Yame is the top gerbera producer in western Japan, shipping approximately 6.46 million stems annually.
• Spray Chrysanthemum (スプレーキク) Spray chrysanthemum flowers grown in greenhouses across Yame City and Hirokawa Town, with annual shipments of approximately 5.74 million stems. Used for funeral and bridal applications.
• JA Bank (JAバンク) Banking services including savings accounts, loans, internet banking, money simulations, and investment products offered to local community members and farmers through the JA Bank Fukuoka network.
• JA Kyosai (JA共済) Life and non-life insurance products provided to cooperative members and local community residents through the JA Kyosai network.
• Daycare Center 茶と花の里 (Cha to Hana no Sato) Elderly day service center providing care and welfare services to senior residents of the Yame region as part of the cooperative's community welfare initiatives.
• Funeral Center Magokoro Hall (まごころ会館) Funeral service center operated by the cooperative that helps local families honor and commemorate deceased loved ones with warm and respectful ceremonies.
• Agricultural School (今こそ農業塾) Agricultural training program for new farmers that provides education on farming techniques and practices, supporting new farmer recruitment and ongoing producer development.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CookpadminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJA Fukuoka Yame collaborates with Cookpad, Japan's largest recipe platform, to publish recipes featuring Yame regional specialties. The '八女特産レシピ' (Yame Specialty Recipes) page on Cookpad promotes local agricultural products to cooking enthusiasts nationwide.
• A-Coop KyushucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA-Coop Kyushu operates the A-Coop retail store network in the Kyushu region. JA Fukuoka Yame participates in this cooperative retail network to provide daily necessities and consumer goods to local residents.
• JA Bank FukuokacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJA Bank Fukuoka is the regional JA Bank entity providing banking services coordination across Fukuoka Prefecture. JA Fukuoka Yame operates JA Bank services as part of this network.
• JA National (全国農業協同組合連合会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJA National (Zennoh) provides the '全農安心システム' (Zennoh Safety System) for agricultural product traceability and safety certification. JA Fukuoka Yame participates in this food safety initiative.
• 一芯庵minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIchisshinan is a tea-related partner featured on JA Fukuoka Yame's specialty products map, representing the local tea culture and industry.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• JA Fukuoka City: Another JA cooperative within Fukuoka Prefecture serving an adjacent service area. Operates the same agricultural banking, insurance, retail, and welfare model within its own municipal territory, providing a regional comparison point for JA Fukuoka Yame's service mix.

Broad incumbents

• JA Group / Zennoh (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations): The national federation that JA Fukuoka Yame participates in. Operates at scale across all of Japan, providing the Zennoh Safety System traceability framework and nationwide marketing infrastructure that the regional cooperative relies on.
• JA Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (JA Kyosai nationwide): The national JA Kyosai mutual aid/insurance entity that provides the insurance products JA Fukuoka Yame distributes to its members. Comparable as the insurance partner within the same cooperative ecosystem.
• Yamamotoyama (Yamamoto Yama Inc.): A long-established Japanese tea company. Comparable as a downstream branded tea buyer/blender in the same Japanese green tea category where JA Fukuoka Yame produces premium Yame tea as raw material.
• Ito En (Itoen, Ltd.): Japan's largest tea-focused packaged beverage company. Comparable as a competing buyer and brand in the Japanese green tea market — including the Yame tea category in which JA Fukuoka Yame is a major upstream producer.

Direct peers

• JA Kumamoto (Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural Cooperative): Prefectural JA cooperative offering agricultural product collection, banking, insurance, retail, and funeral/welfare services across Kumamoto. Same multi-line cooperative business model and member-driven governance structure as JA Fukuoka Yame.
• A-Coop Kyushu: The retail cooperative network that operates A-Coop stores including those of JA Fukuoka Yame. Direct comparable as a cooperative retail format serving daily necessities and agricultural supplies in Kyushu communities.
• JA Saga (Saga Prefectural Agricultural Cooperative): A prefectural-level Japanese agricultural cooperative providing the same integrated mix of agricultural marketing, JA Bank, JA Kyosai insurance, A-Coop retail, and welfare services to Saga Prefecture members. Direct comparable in operating model, governance structure, and member service portfolio.
• JA Bank Fukuoka: The regional JA Bank entity coordinating JA Fukuoka Yame's financial services. Operates the same banking and loan products and serves overlapping member base within Fukuoka Prefecture.

Others

• Ota Floral Auction: Japan's largest cut-flower wholesale market. Comparable as a downstream distribution channel where JA Fukuoka Yame's gerbera and chrysanthemum production ultimately flows via the broader JA marketing network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubecookpad.com/kitchen/46309899
• Instagraminstagram.com/ja_fukuokayame

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 JA Fukuoka Yame