Farm-to-table Southeast Asian startup Secai Marche raises Series A

Secai Marche, a farm-to-table distribution platform for farmers in Japan and Southeast Asia, hhas announced that it has raised 210 million Japanese yen (about $1,6 million) in a series A funding round. The round included the participation of the venture capital firm The Agribusiness Investment and Consultation Co., Spiral Ventures Asia Fund I and Beyond Next Ventures. This brings the total raised so far by the startup to $4,5 million..

Since its initial funding, Secai Marche has developed its warehouse management and fulfillment system for perishables and has established a cold supply chain from farm to end users covering more than 300 farmers.. Its founder, Ami Sugiyama, explained that by optimizing its supply chain and minimizing delivery times, itcai Marche is able to maintain a waste rate of less than 1%.

Sugiyama says that the food distribution sector in Southeast Asia is very large, but very fragmented and inefficient. Secai Marche helps smooth out the bumps along the F&B supply chain with its in-house software, such as a warehouse management system and demand forecasting for perishable items. The platform offers more than 4.000 items from farmers in Southeast Asia and Japan, such as vegetables, fruits, eggs, and seafood. They sell to more than 500 retailers and HORECA (hotels, restaurants and catering) customers.

Other Southeast Asian startups that have secured funding in recent years include Eden Farm, Kamereo, and FreshKet.

Secai Marche aims to differentiate itself from other wholesale platforms for agricultural products by offering a comprehensive solution open to all farmers, which means that it has a greater variety of products, and providing more transparency.

The funding will be used to develop Secai Marche's demand forecasting system and optimize truck routes as it expands its service areas.