'Not a Single Piece of Fruit or Vegetable Arriving at Ota Market Will Be Wasted'
Notomi Co., Ltd., a produce wholesaler at Ota Market, announced its vision to eliminate food waste by building an e-commerce and logistics network for off-spec fruits to support farmers and deliver value to consumers.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 13:00
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Notomi Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ota-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Yoshikuni Anzai) supports April Dream, an initiative that designates April 1st as a day to broadcast dreams. This press release is the dream of 'Notomi Co., Ltd.'
■ The Reality of 'Mottainai' (Wastefulness) Seen from Japan's Largest Produce Market
We at Notomi have been operating as a fresh produce wholesaler for about 45 years since our founding, based at the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market Ota Market, which boasts the largest volume of incoming produce in Japan. Our strength lies in 'domestic fruits', and we take pride in having the highest wholesale record for Kumamoto-grown Dekopon in Japan.
A massive amount of produce arrives at Ota Market from all over the country every day. However, not all of it reaches the consumers' dining tables.
When there is a bumper crop, fruits overflow the market, leading to unwanted discount sales and disposal. Additionally, agricultural products have 'specifications', and those that fall outside of them—despite having absolutely no issues with taste—are traded cheaply as 'off-spec', squeezing the income of producers.
Precisely because we are wholesalers who witness this reality every day, we strongly desire to solve this issue.
■ Slogan: 'Not a Single Piece of Fruit Arriving at Ota Market Will Be Wasted'
Just because a fruit is off-spec does not mean its deliciousness changes. Just because there is a bumper crop does not mean its value decreases. We want to correctly deliver the value of fruits carefully grown by producers to consumers. To achieve this, we are creating a mechanism from both 'logistics' and 'e-commerce' perspectives.
Initiative ①: Strengthening the Logistics Network
■ The Reality of 'Mottainai' (Wastefulness) Seen from Japan's Largest Produce Market
We at Notomi have been operating as a fresh produce wholesaler for about 45 years since our founding, based at the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market Ota Market, which boasts the largest volume of incoming produce in Japan. Our strength lies in 'domestic fruits', and we take pride in having the highest wholesale record for Kumamoto-grown Dekopon in Japan.
A massive amount of produce arrives at Ota Market from all over the country every day. However, not all of it reaches the consumers' dining tables.
When there is a bumper crop, fruits overflow the market, leading to unwanted discount sales and disposal. Additionally, agricultural products have 'specifications', and those that fall outside of them—despite having absolutely no issues with taste—are traded cheaply as 'off-spec', squeezing the income of producers.
Precisely because we are wholesalers who witness this reality every day, we strongly desire to solve this issue.
■ Slogan: 'Not a Single Piece of Fruit Arriving at Ota Market Will Be Wasted'
Just because a fruit is off-spec does not mean its deliciousness changes. Just because there is a bumper crop does not mean its value decreases. We want to correctly deliver the value of fruits carefully grown by producers to consumers. To achieve this, we are creating a mechanism from both 'logistics' and 'e-commerce' perspectives.
Initiative ①: Strengthening the Logistics Network