Launch of Kagome Original Variety Seedlings for Home Gardening (2026 Season)

Kagome Co., Ltd. (President: Harunobu Okutani, Head Office: Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture), in collaboration with horticultural supply manufacturer and wholesaler Protoleaf Co., Ltd. (President: Takatsugu Sato, Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo), will begin sales of its 2026 season home gardening seedlings at home centers and gardening specialty stores nationwide starting in late March. Kagome's home gardening tomato seedlings are developed from our proprietary collection of approximately 7,500 tomato seed varieties, specifically bred to be easy to grow in home gardens. This year, we are introducing "Pururun® Orange," a new color variation of our thin-skinned mini tomato "Pururun®," known for its surprising texture. In addition, we are offering a lineup of 13 tomato varieties, including options for beginners, high-sugar varieties, and those with unique characteristics like thin skins or short internodes. Furthermore, we continue to expand our vegetable seedling lineup. This spring, we are launching "Rintaro," a bell pepper that remains tender even when grown large; "Natsuhoshi," a bitter melon that is easy to grow in planters and can be enjoyed as a green curtain; and "Minori-hime," a large-grained, sweet edamame. Combined with the broccoli "Morimaru," stem broccoli "Rento," snow pea "Sayahime," and snap pea "Hoshihime" released last autumn, we are offering a total of 16 vegetable seedling varieties. Since launching tomato seedlings for home gardening in 2015, we have steadily increased sales volume by expanding our varieties and product range, as well as strengthening sales efforts. This year, with the desire to encourage more customers to take an interest in vegetable gardening, we have revamped our home gardening website. We have enhanced information for those new to vegetable cultivation, such as a "Beginner's Guide" and "User Testimonials," and improved the store locator function to make the website more useful. Additionally, our tomato cultivation support app, "Toma-Sapo!," allows users of all levels, from beginners to experts, to enjoy the growing process. It is currently used by over 100,000 people. Through the sale of home gardening seedlings and soil suitable for growing tomatoes and vegetables, we aim to help customers experience the joy of the entire process: "growing, admiring, harvesting, cooking, and eating vegetables with gratitude for nature's bounty." Through these experiences, we hope to make vegetables feel more familiar and foster a sense of appreciation for food, farmers, and nature. We will continue to provide opportunities for people to feel the cycle where people enrich nature and nature enriches people through home gardening. ■ Overview of the Tomato Cultivation Support App "Toma-Sapo!" Developed by our company in 2020, "Toma-Sapo!" provides easy-to-understand guidance through photos, illustrations, and videos to help ensure successful tomato cultivation, including tasks like watering. It also provides daily management advice based on the cultivation location's weather forecast and the specific variety being grown. ■ How to Download "Toma-Sapo!" ・ App Store: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id1458458662?mt=8 ・ Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.kagome.tomasapo