TOKYO, Dec. 21 ― Japan’s largest farmers’ group has invested in Yuwaeru Co. Ltd., a Tokyo-based startup that specializes in manufacturing prepackaged brown rice, continuing its aggressive move to seek out growth business.
JA ZEN-NOH, the National Federation of Agriculture Cooperative Associations, the marketing arm of JA group, said on Dec. 20 that it acquired an undisclosed stake in Yuwaeru through a third-party allocation of newly issued shares.
The equity investment took place in November 2018, enabling JA group to push for sales of Japanese-grown brown rice at home and abroad.
Brown rice is known as a superfood owing to its multitude of nutritional benefits. That makes it a healthier option to go for, instead of white rice, particularly among Japanese women in their 30s and 40s.