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$50 'luxury' strawberries are grown in vertical farms

Africa World
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Before 2017, Omakase strawberries only grew in the foothills of the Japanese Alps. Now, they grow in Oishii vertical farms in New Jersey, Los Angeles, and New York City.

Japanese Alps
Marina Takimoto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Hiroki Koga, Oishii Founder and CEO, was disappointed in the quality of American fruit — so he brought the strawberry seeds to the US along with his knowledge of ancient Japanese vertical farming techniques.

Omakase Berry
Oishii

Each vertical farm is designed to replicate the conditions of the Japanese Alps, "down to the degree of temperature," the company told Insider.

Omakase Berry
Oishii

Oishii "employs AI-powered robots" in its farms that report analytics of the health and yield of the berries, determining when the berries are at peak ripeness.

Omakase Berry
Oishii

Bees pollinate the indoor farm as its climate is maintained to imitate "the light rain, cool breeze, and bright sun" of the mountain range.

Omakase Berry
Oishii

Strawberries are considered one of the toughest plants to grow indoors "since they are such a sophisticated pollinated plant," Oishii told Insider. The farms must be conducive to both the bees and plants.

Omakase Berry
Oishii
Omakase Berry
Oishii

Oishii recently closed $50 million in Series A funding this March. Koga told Food Navigator that the company's business model is similar to Tesla's, adding that he expects the berry's price to go down over time.

Omakase Berry
Oishii

Source: Food Navigator USA

A box of 11 medium-sized strawberries costs $50, as does a box of 8 large berries. Chefs at high-end restaurants in Manhattan pay for the "experience" of the berry, NPR reported.

Omakase Berry
Oishii

The Omakase berry is two to three times sweeter than US-grown strawberries, according to Food Navigator. Koga told NPR that American strawberries taste like "cucumbers" in comparison to Omakase berries.

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