A Female Entrepreneur's Innovations in Distribution Bear Fruit

Bringing Producers and Consumers Together Directly

On August 24, 2023, water treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) was discharged into the Pacific Ocean near Fukushima Prefecture. The water, once contaminated with radioactive materials from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., has now been purified to meet safety standards. TABE CHOKU initiated its support of affected fisheries the very next day, offering advance payment and priority food-safety screenings based on their sustainable criteria. They also launched a campaign on August 31. During the campaign period, they subsidized 500 yen of every order of seafood made on the website (the campaign has now been completed). This was all done at an unprecedented speed. "We have been implementing programs that offer immediate support to producers who have been impacted by natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic," says Akimoto. "With small businesses like ours taking this first step straight away, I believe the cycle of support will expand further to retailers and cooperative businesses."

Akimoto's parents were farmers in Kanagawa Prefecture, located south of Tokyo. As a child, Akimoto witnessed her parents' farm going out of business firsthand, an experience that led to her starting vivid garden Inc., which is the operator of TABE CHOKU, in 2016. The idea behind the founding of the website was to let the producers themselves determine sales prices and sell directly to consumers, in the hope that this would allow producers to make a profit equivalent to the love and care they devote to their products. "The COVID-19 pandemic changed how consumers think about eating, which gave a boost to our company's philosophy. Consumers started having this respect for producers and delivery service staff—people they hadn't really encountered or thought about before—and became interested in the SDGs, as well as how they could contribute to solving social issues in their day-to-day shopping. And I think that that really aligned with the 'producer first' philosophy of TABE CHOKU."

Despite it only being six years since the company was founded, the website now has 900,000 users, 9,000 registered producers, and over 60,000 items, such as vegetables, fruits, rice, meat, and fish. Many users have posted glowing reviews about the deliciousness of the products and the kindness of the producers. Akimoto, who has no farming or agricultural experience, majored in science and technology as a university student. After graduating, she worked in new business development and as a director of web services. She got the know-how she needed to start her business by participating in Support Funds for Female and Young/Senior Entrepreneurs, the Aoyama Startup Acceleration Center (ASAC), and the Acceleration Program in Tokyo for Women (APT Women), as well as by making connections with venture capitalists through these programs. "At that time, I didn't even know what the term 'start-up' meant. But these programs gave me access to information on how to acquire funds, and other important processes."

TABE CHOKU allows producers and consumers to connect and communicate with one another directly, enabling consumers to discover the story of each individual producer. "For instance, there's someone who used to work in a trading company who took over their family's farming business, who's really succeeded in presenting their products in a way that has a lot of appeal for consumers, through a good balance of familiar, everyday vegetables and new, trendy varieties. There's also a fishery supplier that had lost its sales channels due to COVID-19, which has now been selling pre-prepped fish that takes away some of the hassle of cooking. It has had a remarkable recovery in terms of sales, and its business is thriving. Even beyond this, it has gotten a lot of attention for its new products, like its fish croquettes."

TABE CHOKU Brings in More Companies and Local Governments

Akimoto is a highly decorated individual, having won the Nippon Startup Award and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award at the Innovation Net Award Program for 2023. With the business world's attention fixed on her, Akimoto says there is still more to do. "Honestly, I don't think we've been able to support the producers much at all, at least not yet. The primary industries are experiencing countless issues that include logistics, funding, and labor shortages."

Akimoto's latest initiative is the SDGs project for primary industry, which she launched in January 2023. This long-term initiative aims to further enhance the support provided to producers through partnerships with multiple companies. Its goal is to help drive the SDGs as well as development in the agriculture, livestock, fishery, and forestry industries. "It is an initiative that will contribute to the SDGs by providing companies with nonstandard food and food from producers that use as little plastic packaging as possible. The idea is that those companies will use this food as promotional items for clients and as corporate gifts." Their first partner in the initiative was SBI FXTRADE Co., Ltd., a foreign exchange business. "SBI FXTRADE bought ownership of an orchard, and producers can sign a contract with them starting at just a single tree, so it's easier to manage, and helps bring producers a stable income."

Akimoto's passion for supporting producers has expanded to include consumers, companies—and will perhaps change the way distribution works across these industries as a whole. TABE CHOKU's efforts teach us a valuable lesson: we can do our part to help change society just through our daily meals.

Akimoto Rina

Born into a farming family in Kanagawa Prefecture. Worked  at DeNA, including as web service director and app marketing manager. Founded vivid garden Inc. in November 2016. Featured in "Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia" in April 2020. Has appeared in various television programs.