best planet

What best planet does

Best Planet Co., Ltd. (ベストプラネット株式会社) is a privately held Japanese dried-food manufacturer founded in 1887. It supplies food-service chains, school-lunch and prepared-food operators, food manufacturers, retailers and distributors, and individual consumers with more than 500 agricultural and marine dried products, including shaved bonito, dashi packs, dried shiitake, dried radish, seaweed, noodles, and specialty items. The company reports annual sales of JPY 3 billion.

Its Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県) factory is the primary manufacturing site. Disclosed capabilities include patented far-infrared roasting and softening for shaved bonito, internal mold-aged katsuobushi processing, three-temperature-zone storage from -20°C to 15°C, JAS lot inspection, a full-chain traceability system, and Organic JAS wood ear mushroom cultivation through Best Farm Co., Ltd. (ベストファーム株式会社). The operation supports both scale and flexibility: reported capacity is approximately 150,000 bonito-flake production lots annually, while OEM katsuobushi production can begin at 50kg per month.

Best Planet primarily generates revenue through B2B product sales and custom OEM/private-label manufacturing, using direct field sales, requirements development, formulation, sampling, quality approval, manufacturing, and delivery. It also sells consumer products under the Takumi-an (匠庵) brand through Rakuten Market (楽天市場). The company reports approximately 150 OEM proposals per year and uses seven Chinese OEM factories operating under its quality-management system to broaden sourcing across dried agricultural and marine product categories.

Name

best planet

Legal name

ベストプラネット株式会社

Website

https://bestplanet.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Best Planet is a private Japanese dried-food manufacturer serving food-service operators, institutional caterers, food manufacturers, retailers, and consumers through branded products, custom OEM production, and Rakuten e-commerce, with in-house processing, cold storage, traceability, and mushroom cultivation capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dried Food Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Dried & Dehydrated Foods Manufacturing (AFAKACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Smoked & Cured Seafood (Salmon, Herring, Lox) (AFANALAD), Seaweed & Dried Vegetable Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAI)

Keywords

• Dried food manufacturing
• Bonito flake production
• Private label OEM
• Dashi ingredients
• Food service supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Iyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product sales (proprietary brand — 匠庵 / consumer and business): Sale of dried food products under the company's own '匠庵' brand, including 花かつお (bonito flakes), だしパック (dashi packs), 椎茸 (shiitake), 切干大根 (dried radish), 国産素材 series, and other dried goods. Both B2C (consumer) and B2B (food service, retailers) channels.
2. OEM manufacturing: Original equipment manufacturing of dried food products for business clients (restaurants, food manufacturers, school lunch suppliers, retailers). Customers provide or approve formulations; Best Planet handles procurement, production, and delivery. Approximately 150 OEM proposals per year; production capacity of approximately 150,000 annual production lots for bonito flakes alone.
3. E-commerce (Rakuten — 乾物の匠庵): Direct-to-consumer online retail via Rakuten marketplace, selling consumer-packaged dried goods to individual buyers. Net sales operations began in 2010.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Best Planet is Japan's only comprehensive dried food factory (総合乾物ファクトリー), manufacturing and supplying over 500 dried agricultural and marine products including shaved bonito flakes (花かつお), dashi packs, dried shiitake, and dried daikon. The company operates both proprietary branded consumer products under the 匠庵 (Takumi-an) brand and an OEM/private-label manufacturing service for food service operators, food manufacturers, school lunch providers, and retailers.

Product overview

Best Planet operates as Japan's only comprehensive dried food factory (乾物総合メーカー), combining agricultural and marine dried food products through a network of trusted producers built over 130+ years. The core product portfolio centers on shaved bonito products (花かつお) and bonito packs (かつおパック) manufactured using the proprietary far-infrared roasting-softening method, complemented by dashi packs (だしパック), dried shiitake (乾椎茸), dried shredded daikon (切干大根), and a full line of dried agricultural and marine products. The company offers OEM manufacturing services for custom dried food products and operates consumer retail brand '匠庵' (Takumi-an). Recent capabilities include self-cultivated organic enoki mushrooms (自社栽培きくらげ) grown at the Ehime factory with full organic JAS certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 匠庵: 家庭用乾物商品のブランド名。削りぶし、だしパック、椎茸、切干大根などの家庭用商品を展開。

Products and services

• Hana Katsuobushi (花かつお) - Premium Shaved Bonito Flakes Premium shaved bonito flakes produced using the proprietary far-infrared roasting-softening method. The product captures natural umami and aroma through a specialized manufacturing process that locks in flavor without losing volatile compounds. Available in thicknesses from 0.02mm to 1.1mm.
• Katsuobushi Pack (かつおパック) - Pre-packaged Bonito Flake Portions Pre-packaged portion-controlled bonito flakes available in various sizes from 0.5g to 5g, designed for food service and commercial use to ensure consistent flavor across multiple servings and reduce manual portioning.
• Various Fish Flakes - Shaved and Powdered (各種魚節削りぶし・粉末) Various fish and seafood dried products including shaved and powdered forms of skipjack tuna, mackerel, sardines, and other species, available in different thickness grades from 0.02mm to 1.1mm for diverse culinary applications. Powdered forms available from 0.8mm fine to 5mm coarse.
• Dashi Packs (だしパック) - Soup Stock Packs Soup stock powder packs combining multiple ingredients such as bonito, dried sardines, flying fish, and kombu, formulated for consistent flavor extraction. Available in sizes from 3g to 500g for both consumer and commercial use.
• Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (干し椎茸) Dried shiitake mushrooms sourced from domestic log-cultivated and imported substrate-cultivated varieties, available in different grades including 冬菇 (premium thick-cut) and 香信 (standard grade), with re-dried sliced options. Sourced via designated dealer rights in Ehime, Miyazaki, and Oita.
• Dried Shredded Daikon (切干大根) Sun-dried shredded daikon radish from Miyazaki prefecture and organic certified sources, processed through natural wind and sun drying during winter months for superior sweetness and texture.
• Dried Agricultural and Marine Products (農産乾物・海産乾物) Comprehensive range of dried agricultural products (dried bamboo shoots, noodles, beans, starch products, gourd strips) and marine products (kombu, hijiki seaweed, agar, dried sardines, small shrimp) sourced from domestic and international origins.
• Self-Cultivated Wood Ear Mushrooms (自社栽培きくらげ) Organically cultivated wood ear mushrooms (kikurage) grown in-house using organic JAS certified substrate at the Ehime factory (8 greenhouses, ~100 tonnes fresh annual yield), offering consistent quality, thicker texture, and full traceability from cultivation through final packaging. Domestic kikurage self-sufficiency rate stands at approximately 3%.
• Dried Food OEM Manufacturing Service (乾物OEM生産サービス) Original equipment manufacturing service for dried food products, offering development and production of custom formulations with a structured six-step engagement process (hearing, material/formulation design, quoting and sampling, quality approval, manufacturing, delivery with after-sales support). Capacity for over 150 annual proposals and handling lots from 50kg/month, supporting multi-species small-lot production with full traceability.
• Takumi-an (匠庵) - Consumer Brand for Household Dried Foods Consumer-facing brand under the comprehensive dried food manufacturer, offering premium dried food products for household use including shaved bonito, dashi packs, dried shiitake, dried daikon, and specialty dried ingredients. Sold via Rakuten e-commerce and specialty retail stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO22000 certified — first in the dried food and bonito flake industry (2007)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chinese OEM manufacturing partners (中国OEM工場 — 7 factories)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 20067 Chinese OEM factories operating under Best Planet's proprietary quality management standards. Covers bamboo shoots, mountain vegetables, dried kikurage, dried shiitake, hijiki seaweed, mung bean glass noodles (はるさめ), and water-boiled bamboo shoots. Manufacturing under Best Planet's in-house production management system.
• Best Farm Corporation (ベストファーム株式会社)coreOthersA group company within the Best Planet group, established in 2020 (Reiwa 2) as an agricultural corporation. Specializes in cultivation of kikurage (shiitake mushrooms) and shiitake under organic JAS certification. Renamed from the group's agricultural corporation to Best Farm in September 2024.
• Ehime Forest Owners' Association (愛媛県森林組合連合会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignated distributor relationship for dried shiitake. Best Planet became a designated dealer (指定商社) for Ehime Prefecture dried shiitake bidding rights in 1979 (Showa 54), enabling preferential sourcing access to Ehime's dried shiitake supply.
• Miyazaki Prefecture Economic Agricultural Cooperative Association (宮崎県経済農業協同組合連合会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignated distributor relationship for dried shiitake. Best Planet became a designated dealer for Miyazaki Prefecture dried shiitake bidding rights in 1984 (Showa 59), enabling sourcing access to Miyazaki's dried shiitake supply.
• Oita Shiitake Agricultural Cooperative (大分県椎茸農業協同組合 / OSK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignated distributor relationship for dried shiitake. Best Planet became a designated dealer (指定商社) for Oita Prefecture dried shiitake bidding rights in 1988 (Showa 63), part of the OSK (Oita Shiitake Kochi/Kumiai) cooperative network.
• Contracted comprehensive hygiene management company (契約している総合衛生管理会社)minorOthersA contracted external hygiene management company provides monthly guidance on sanitation practices and continuous improvement for the manufacturing facility's cleanliness standards, complementing Best Planet's internal food safety committee activities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Yamaki Corporation: One of Japan's largest dedicated katsuobushi and dashi product manufacturers, with branded consumer lines and broad B2B distribution. Directly competes with Best Planet in shaved bonito flakes, dashi packs, and OEM/private-label manufacturing for food service.
• Marutomo Co., Ltd. Specialty dried-seafood and dashi ingredient manufacturer with strong retail brand presence (e.g., 'Hon-dashi'). Comparable to Best Planet in shaved bonito, dashi packs, and small-format consumer dried-seafood offerings.
• Hamaotome Co., Ltd. Dried-seafood and dashi ingredient producer focused on quality bonito and kelp-based dashi. Competes most directly with Best Planet's premium hana-katsuobushi and dashi pack SKUs targeting retail and food-service customers.

Broad incumbents

• Mizkan Holdings Co., Ltd. Large Japanese condiments group encompassing vinegar, dashi, and packaged soups. Overlaps with Best Planet in dashi and bonito-flake adjacencies but serves a much broader portfolio across retail and food service globally.
• Marukome Co., Ltd. Japan's leading miso manufacturer with expanding dashi and Japanese soup seasoning lines. Overlaps with Best Planet in dashi-related product categories and shares similar B2B food-service customer profiles.
• Nagatanien Co., Ltd. (Nagatanien Holdings): Established Japanese food company known for furikake (rice seasoning), dashi packs, and ready-to-eat Japanese staples. Direct category overlap with Best Planet in dashi packs and dried seasoning blends targeting both retail and food service.
• Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Diversified global food and seasoning manufacturer with a sizeable Japanese foods segment including dashi and umami seasonings. Competes with Best Planet primarily through larger-format branded dashi products and foodservice ingredient supply.
• House Foods Group Inc. Major Japanese food manufacturer with broad curry, spice, and seasoning lines including dashi-related products. Overlaps with Best Planet in packaged dashi and Japanese seasoning adjacencies for retail and food-service channels.
• Kewpie Corporation: Japan-headquartered condiment and prepared-food manufacturer with growing dried and soup-stock offerings. Provides a comparable large-scale B2B/retail foodservice channel for Japanese pantry ingredients including dashi.

Emerging players

• Riken Vitamin Co., Ltd. Food ingredient manufacturer with a meaningful dried and processed food ingredients business serving B2B customers. Comparable to Best Planet in OEM/private-label dried ingredient supply and food-service ingredient categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

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 best planet