Designing Agriculture to Be More Enjoyable and Accessible
Spice Cube aims to solve social issues through urban agriculture, designing farming to be more enjoyable and accessible.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 10:15
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 6, 2026 at 15:35 (125h 20m after Collected)
Our company supports April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day for announcing dreams. This press release is the dream of "Spice Cube Co., Ltd."
"We want to create an era where future children can also eat delicious vegetables."
Japan's agricultural population has decreased by about two-thirds in the last five years. We started with the desire to change the current situation in the agricultural industry, which faces challenges such as technology transfer and a lack of successors. Spice Cube Co., Ltd. (Head office: Kita-ku, Osaka; Representative Director: Tsubasa Sugai) proposes a new form of agriculture, making it more familiar and easier. We introduce their initiatives and dreams.
## Is Japanese Agriculture Okay as It Is?
One of Japan's social issues is the decline in its agricultural population and the accompanying decrease in calorie-based food self-sufficiency. The population of core agricultural workers (*) has almost halved from 2.19 million in 2004 to 1.11 million in 2024. Furthermore, over 70% of these 1.11 million people are aged 65 or older, indicating rapid aging in agriculture.
(*Those aged 15 or older who are primarily engaged in self-employed farming as their main occupation)
Currently, we can easily obtain vegetables at supermarkets, greengrocers, and convenience stores.
However, in the future, the number of people engaged in agriculture will continue to decrease. Global warming will advance, and vegetables that could be grown before will no longer be cultivable. International situations will change, making food imports difficult.
Current agriculture faces various risks.
With the desire to "let future children eat safe, secure, and delicious domestic vegetables," Spice Cube Co., Ltd. started by providing support for the commercialization of plant factories and the design and development of agricultural equipment.
In plant factories, it is possible to stably produce vegetables with consistent quality and yield throughout the year by managing the water, light, and carbon dioxide necessary for plant photosynthesis, as well as the temperature and humidity in the space.
However, statistics show that business conditions are severe, with 57% of businesses reportedly operating at a loss as of 2022.
Amidst this, we have established an urban agricultural business model.
- ① Design and Construction of Plant Factories
Instead of the common method of newly constructing large-scale plant factories in the suburbs, we renovate unused real estate such as vacant tenants or warehouses in urban areas, or vacant spaces in factories, into plant factories.
- ② Transfer of Know-how
We provide all our accumulated know-how, making it easy for anyone to grow vegetables.
The work is simple and easy, so our factories are also operating in Type A employment support facilities.
Furthermore, in the plant factory business, not only "how to grow" but also "how to sell" vegetables is important, so we support exit strategies and sales channel development.
- ③ Purchase Support
In the initial stages of factory operation, vegetables are usually left unsold. In such cases, we purchase all surplus vegetables, supporting initial sales.
Traditional agriculture has involved much physical labor in harsh climates, with yields and quality dependent on the natural environment, and often insufficient income. That is why there are few successors.
Future agriculture will be stable throughout the year and viable as a business. By developing a sustainable agricultural model, we aim to increase corporate entry into agriculture, not just individual farmers, and boost the power of Japanese agriculture.
## Team's "2026 Aspirations"
- ■ Higuchi (Public Relations & Marketing Department)
We will make 2026 a year that brings us closer to our goal of "realizing agriculture anywhere in the world."
Spice Cube's business extends beyond agriculture, involving the utilization of vacant homes, job creation in welfare, and addressing global warming and CO2 reduction. This year, we will focus on "communicating" to many people from various angles, to convey the importance and joy of agriculture. We will strive to make as many people as possible interested in agriculture and Spice Cube.
- ■ Fujiwara (Sales Department)
"Small plant factories" as a new driving force for regional revitalization!
Having grown up in a farming family near the Sea of Japan, I believe it is my life's mission to protect local livelihoods through agriculture. Currently, regional areas face severe challenges such as population decline and industrial stagnation, but I am convinced that "small plant factories" are the key to regional revitalization. Spice Cube's business goes beyond agriculture to solve complex issues. It contributes not only to reducing the agricultural population and improving food self-sufficiency, but also to utilizing vacant homes, decarbonization, and job creation. I will dedicate myself to popularizing "small plant factories" nationwide and supporting those who enter this field, thereby creating a positive cycle in the regional economy.
- ■ Kawauchi (Sales Department)
I worked for a major trading company for 10 years, and I jumped into a company of three people because I met something I "truly wanted to spread to the world."
I can still remember the emotion I felt when I first tasted our company's vegetables. I am working every day with the desire to deliver this value to more people. With attention gradually gathering, such as participation in the Expo and media coverage, I feel now is the time to compete. With me joining as the fourth member, we will accelerate our expansion, make the term "hydroponics" commonplace, and increase the number of people interested in agriculture and food. I will make this year one that creates such a future.
## Message from the Representative
Our company introduces small agricultural devices into vacant houses and other properties to turn them into "fields." This term, we aim to launch a new agricultural product distribution business and become a company that can also change the distribution structure of vegetables.
Making agriculture more enjoyable --- designing agriculture itself is this term's theme.
## About Spice Cube Co., Ltd.
With the mission of "realizing agriculture anywhere in the world," we aim to create a society where future children can eat domestically grown vegetables by continuously building small plant factories in vacant urban properties. We renovate unused real estate into plant factories and provide support for the transfer of agricultural technology and the development of sales channels for produced vegetables. We develop a sustainable urban agricultural model that pursues profit, allowing companies to operate agriculture as a new business. In addition to utilizing vacant real estate, we promote diverse employment, including people with disabilities, through agriculture x welfare collaboration, and aim to expand our business by installing DAC (Direct Air Capture) systems, which recover CO2 from the atmosphere, in plant factories.
## Company Overview
Company Name: Spice Cube Co., Ltd.
Head Office Location: *Relocated on April 1, 2026
Gran Green Osaka North Building, 6-38 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka
JAM BASE 6th Floor JAM-DESK
Representative Director: Tsubasa Sugai
Business Activities: Support for commercialization of plant factories, design and development of agricultural equipment
Established: February 14, 2018
HP: https://www.spicecube.biz/
"We want to create an era where future children can also eat delicious vegetables."
Japan's agricultural population has decreased by about two-thirds in the last five years. We started with the desire to change the current situation in the agricultural industry, which faces challenges such as technology transfer and a lack of successors. Spice Cube Co., Ltd. (Head office: Kita-ku, Osaka; Representative Director: Tsubasa Sugai) proposes a new form of agriculture, making it more familiar and easier. We introduce their initiatives and dreams.
## Is Japanese Agriculture Okay as It Is?
One of Japan's social issues is the decline in its agricultural population and the accompanying decrease in calorie-based food self-sufficiency. The population of core agricultural workers (*) has almost halved from 2.19 million in 2004 to 1.11 million in 2024. Furthermore, over 70% of these 1.11 million people are aged 65 or older, indicating rapid aging in agriculture.
(*Those aged 15 or older who are primarily engaged in self-employed farming as their main occupation)
Currently, we can easily obtain vegetables at supermarkets, greengrocers, and convenience stores.
However, in the future, the number of people engaged in agriculture will continue to decrease. Global warming will advance, and vegetables that could be grown before will no longer be cultivable. International situations will change, making food imports difficult.
Current agriculture faces various risks.
With the desire to "let future children eat safe, secure, and delicious domestic vegetables," Spice Cube Co., Ltd. started by providing support for the commercialization of plant factories and the design and development of agricultural equipment.
In plant factories, it is possible to stably produce vegetables with consistent quality and yield throughout the year by managing the water, light, and carbon dioxide necessary for plant photosynthesis, as well as the temperature and humidity in the space.
However, statistics show that business conditions are severe, with 57% of businesses reportedly operating at a loss as of 2022.
Amidst this, we have established an urban agricultural business model.
- ① Design and Construction of Plant Factories
Instead of the common method of newly constructing large-scale plant factories in the suburbs, we renovate unused real estate such as vacant tenants or warehouses in urban areas, or vacant spaces in factories, into plant factories.
- ② Transfer of Know-how
We provide all our accumulated know-how, making it easy for anyone to grow vegetables.
The work is simple and easy, so our factories are also operating in Type A employment support facilities.
Furthermore, in the plant factory business, not only "how to grow" but also "how to sell" vegetables is important, so we support exit strategies and sales channel development.
- ③ Purchase Support
In the initial stages of factory operation, vegetables are usually left unsold. In such cases, we purchase all surplus vegetables, supporting initial sales.
Traditional agriculture has involved much physical labor in harsh climates, with yields and quality dependent on the natural environment, and often insufficient income. That is why there are few successors.
Future agriculture will be stable throughout the year and viable as a business. By developing a sustainable agricultural model, we aim to increase corporate entry into agriculture, not just individual farmers, and boost the power of Japanese agriculture.
## Team's "2026 Aspirations"
- ■ Higuchi (Public Relations & Marketing Department)
We will make 2026 a year that brings us closer to our goal of "realizing agriculture anywhere in the world."
Spice Cube's business extends beyond agriculture, involving the utilization of vacant homes, job creation in welfare, and addressing global warming and CO2 reduction. This year, we will focus on "communicating" to many people from various angles, to convey the importance and joy of agriculture. We will strive to make as many people as possible interested in agriculture and Spice Cube.
- ■ Fujiwara (Sales Department)
"Small plant factories" as a new driving force for regional revitalization!
Having grown up in a farming family near the Sea of Japan, I believe it is my life's mission to protect local livelihoods through agriculture. Currently, regional areas face severe challenges such as population decline and industrial stagnation, but I am convinced that "small plant factories" are the key to regional revitalization. Spice Cube's business goes beyond agriculture to solve complex issues. It contributes not only to reducing the agricultural population and improving food self-sufficiency, but also to utilizing vacant homes, decarbonization, and job creation. I will dedicate myself to popularizing "small plant factories" nationwide and supporting those who enter this field, thereby creating a positive cycle in the regional economy.
- ■ Kawauchi (Sales Department)
I worked for a major trading company for 10 years, and I jumped into a company of three people because I met something I "truly wanted to spread to the world."
I can still remember the emotion I felt when I first tasted our company's vegetables. I am working every day with the desire to deliver this value to more people. With attention gradually gathering, such as participation in the Expo and media coverage, I feel now is the time to compete. With me joining as the fourth member, we will accelerate our expansion, make the term "hydroponics" commonplace, and increase the number of people interested in agriculture and food. I will make this year one that creates such a future.
## Message from the Representative
Our company introduces small agricultural devices into vacant houses and other properties to turn them into "fields." This term, we aim to launch a new agricultural product distribution business and become a company that can also change the distribution structure of vegetables.
Making agriculture more enjoyable --- designing agriculture itself is this term's theme.
## About Spice Cube Co., Ltd.
With the mission of "realizing agriculture anywhere in the world," we aim to create a society where future children can eat domestically grown vegetables by continuously building small plant factories in vacant urban properties. We renovate unused real estate into plant factories and provide support for the transfer of agricultural technology and the development of sales channels for produced vegetables. We develop a sustainable urban agricultural model that pursues profit, allowing companies to operate agriculture as a new business. In addition to utilizing vacant real estate, we promote diverse employment, including people with disabilities, through agriculture x welfare collaboration, and aim to expand our business by installing DAC (Direct Air Capture) systems, which recover CO2 from the atmosphere, in plant factories.
## Company Overview
Company Name: Spice Cube Co., Ltd.
Head Office Location: *Relocated on April 1, 2026
Gran Green Osaka North Building, 6-38 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka
JAM BASE 6th Floor JAM-DESK
Representative Director: Tsubasa Sugai
Business Activities: Support for commercialization of plant factories, design and development of agricultural equipment
Established: February 14, 2018
HP: https://www.spicecube.biz/
FAQ
What is Spice Cube aiming for?
With the mission of "realizing agriculture anywhere in the world," they aim to deliver domestically grown vegetables to future children through urban plant factories.
What specifically does plant factory commercialization support involve?
It provides comprehensive support including design, construction, know-how transfer, sales channel development, and initial vegetable purchase support.
What is the social significance of Spice Cube's agricultural model?
It contributes to solving various social issues such as agricultural population decline, food self-sufficiency reduction, utilization of vacant properties, job creation (agriculture-welfare collaboration), and decarbonization (DAC).