March(e)ing to the beat of the… This is Secai Marche. This Japan-headquartered startup connects farmers directly with restaurants and retailers in Southeast Asia!

Oh, and they’ve just raised $2.1M (JPY 300M) in additional funding for their Series A.

• They claim to have grown 200% each year.
• They’ve partnered with over 1,300 retailers and HORECA customers (aka, hotels, restaurants and caterers).

Investor check. Beyond Next Ventures, Spiral Ventures Asia, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Future Food Fund, Tsuneishi Corporation, Fukuoka Sonoriku Co, Toru Yamamoto (CEO, Foodison Co), and more.

• They last raised $1.6M in their Series A in 2023.
• This brings the total raised for their Series A to $3.4M.

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🥬 What they do
Founded in 2019, they’re a one-stop fulfillment service for F&B businesses to easily access high-quality produce that comes directly from farmers and fishermen.

• They source over 4,000 items, from fresh vegetables, fruit, and eggs to chilled seafood from farmers in Japan and Southeast Asia.
• They’re committed to going wide. In a podcast with BackScoop, they shared that they even source items like specific leaves that must be used by a hotel for a certain dish!

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👨🏼‍🌾 How they do it

Small quantities, wide varieties, at competitive prices. Secai Marche makes this possible.

How? Through their own direct distribution network that bypasses existing networks—while also optimizing and consolidating everything!

• Their demand forecasting system allows farmers and fishermen to have stable income. It keeps prices fair for buyers too!
• Their fulfillment tech minimizes waste rates and delivery cost.

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🤑 What’s with the $$$?

They’ll expand their fulfillment centers, level up the accuracy of their demand forecasting with AI, and automate and optimize last-mine deliveries.

They’ll also invest in system development and marketing activities, as well as push for growth in the SEA market!