"Not a Single Fruit or Vegetable Delivered to Ota Market Goes to Waste"

Notomi Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ota-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yoshikuni Anzai) supports April Dream, a project that aims to make April 1st a day to announce dreams. This press release is a dream of "Notomi Co., Ltd."

■ The Reality of "Mottainai" (Wastefulness) Seen from Japan's Largest Produce Market

Notomi has been engaged in the wholesale produce business for approximately 45 years since its establishment, based at the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market Ota Market, which boasts the largest volume of fruit and vegetable arrivals in Japan. We specialize in "domestic fruits," and our wholesale実績 for Kumamoto-produced Dekopon is the highest in Japan.

Every day, large quantities of fruits and vegetables arrive at Ota Market from all over the country. However, not all of them reach consumers' tables.

When fruits have a bumper crop, the market overflows, leading to unwanted price reductions and disposal. Furthermore, agricultural products have "standards," and those that fall outside these standards—despite having no issues with taste—are traded at lower prices as "off-spec" products, putting pressure on producers' incomes.

As a wholesale dealer who witnesses this reality every day, we strongly desire to solve this problem.

■ Slogan: "Not a Single Fruit Delivered to Ota Market Goes to Waste"

Just because a fruit is off-spec doesn't mean its deliciousness changes. Just because there's a bumper crop doesn't mean its value decreases. We are creating a system to correctly deliver the value of fruits carefully grown by producers to consumers, using both "logistics" and "e-commerce."

Initiative ①: Strengthening the Logistics Network

Notomi utilizes its unique information network and efficient logistics system to achieve rapid delivery services. We have opened a branch office in Hiroshima Central Wholesale Market, significantly strengthening our logistics network to Western Japan. This has established a system to deliver produce that tends to be oversupplied at Ota Market to a wider area.

Moving forward, we aim to realize flexible distribution that delivers produce to where it is needed, when it is needed.

Initiative ②: Fresh Food EC One-Stop Service

The market principle is that "if there's an excess, prices fall" and "ugly produce doesn't sell." However, if consumers can be directly informed and understand the value of fruits, this structure can be changed. To achieve this, Notomi is focusing on its "Fresh Food EC One-Stop Service" (link) for e-commerce businesses.

We provide end-to-end support for all tasks necessary for fruit e-commerce, from product planning, photography, and product page creation to sourcing, inspection, packaging, shipping, order management, and sales promotion. By combining Ota Market's top-class sourcing power as a wholesale dealer with a specialized e-commerce team, we solve challenges faced by e-commerce businesses such as "wanting to sell but lacking manpower" or "concerns about sourcing."

Through this service, e-commerce businesses can increase the number of products they handle, creating new "destinations" for fruits that previously remained unsold in the market. Off-spec or bumper crop produce can also be delivered at appropriate prices to consumers who seek their deliciousness.

■ Our Vision for the Future

Notomi's philosophy is "From Ota Market to the Nation, Aiming for a Sustainable Food Future."

Fruits carefully grown by producers should not end up unsold or sold cheaply in the market, but rather reach consumers in a way that reflects their true value. Producers receive fair compensation, consumers get delicious fruits, and food loss is reduced.

Notomi's dream is to realize this win-win-win cycle through the power of logistics and e-commerce.

■ We are recruiting partners to work with us on this dream

○ To e-commerce businesses selling fruits

"I want to expand my product lineup," "I want to stabilize my suppliers," "I want to outsource packaging and shipping"—if you have such challenges, please consult Notomi's EC one-stop service. With a track record of handling over 600 products annually and Ota Market's top-class sourcing power, we will fully support the sales growth of your e-commerce business.

○ To production areas and producers

If you are having trouble finding shipping destinations for off-spec or bumper crop produce, please consult us. Notomi's logistics network and EC support service may be able to propose new sales channels.

○ To those interested in working at Notomi

Notomi is a company that continues to challenge new areas such as logistics and e-commerce within the traditional industry of "market wholesale." Would you like to combine specialized knowledge of fruits and vegetables with IT and digital skills to create the future of food in Japan with us?

About "April Dream"

"April Dream" is a project advocated by PR TIMES Co., Ltd., which aims to announce "dreams" instead of "lies" on April 1st.

Company Profile

Company Name: Notomi Co., Ltd.

Representative: Masamichi Nemoto, Representative Director

Founded: December 11, 1980

Head Office Location: 3-2-6 Tokai, Ota-ku, Tokyo 143-0001 (within Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market Ota Market)

Hiroshima Branch: 1-8-1 Kusatsu Port, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima 733-0832 (within Hiroshima Central Wholesale Market)

Business Activities: Wholesale produce business, information distribution business, EC wholesale business, produce shipping agency business

Official HP: https://www.notomi.co.jp/

EC Support Service: https://www.notomi.co.jp/ec-support/

Contact for this matter

Notomi Co., Ltd.

Contact Person: Mitsuru Yageta

E-mail: yageta@ota-nj.com