Secai Marche, a farm-to-fork delivery platform serving farmers in Japan and Southeast Asia, announced today that it has raised 210 million Japanese yen (approximately $1.6 million USD) in Series A funding. The round included participation from venture capital firm The Agribusiness Investment and Consultation Co., Spiral Ventures Asia Fund I and Beyond Next Ventures.

This brings the total amount the startup has raised to date to $4.5 million. australiabusinessblog.com last reported on Secai Marche when it raised seed money from Rakuten and Beyond Next in 2021.

Since the seed funding, Secai Marche has built out its warehouse management and fulfillment system for perishables and established a cold supply chain from farm to end user that includes more than 300 farmers. Founder Ami Sugiyama told australiabusinessblog.com that by optimizing the supply chain and minimizing delivery lead time, Secai Marche can maintain a waste rate of less than 1%.

Sugiyama said Southeast Asia’s food service distribution industry is very large, but very fragmented and inefficient. Secai Marche helps smooth out bumps in the F&B supply chain with proprietary software, such as a warehouse management system and demand forecasting for perishable items. More than 4,000 items are available on the platform from farmers in Southeast Asia and Japan, including vegetables, fruits, eggs and seafood. They sell to over 500 retailers and HORECA (hotels, restaurants and catering) customers.

Other farm-to-fork startups in Southeast Asia that have raised funds in recent years include Eden Farm, Kamereo, and FreshKet.

Secai Marche aims to differentiate itself from other agricultural wholesale platforms by providing an end-to-end fulfillment solution that is open to all farmers, meaning it offers a greater variety of products and greater transparency

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