PNB-INSPiRE Ethical Fund 1 Investment Business Limited Liability Partnership (hereinafter “PIEF”) acquired the stock of Pocket Marche Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Pocket Marche”) through third-party allocation

Pocket Marche, with its vision of “changing primary industry to information industry”, is a company that manages a platform that connects producers to consumers. The company enables consumers to gain direct access to producers from all over Japan and purchase various products. Agricultural products, such as native species that have been only available for local consumption, products not aesthetically pleasing yet still having high quality of taste, or commodities produced in quantities too small to be of interest of mass retail chains, can be found and purchased via smartphones from anywhere.

Through Pocket Marche, producers now have access to a new avenue to deliver their products having been overlooked by traditional distribution methods. Moreover, it has enabled the producers to directly reach out to consumers and communicate, which had only previously been possible through physical presence at point of sale.

Until now, there wasn’t a place where producer’s ideals and consumer’s voices could interact each other. Consumption society that simply compares items by price could result in producer’s fatigue and consumer’s unhappiness as a result of having no “information” that stimulates consumers to purchase and tells consumers the story behind the product – tremendous time and effort, crops grown in strong passion, aquatic products caught with life-risking devotion. Pocket Marche resolves the disconnection of such ‘information’ and offers a place for communication between producers and consumers, promoting the sophistication of consumption activities.

Trends in the sophistication of consumption activities have become prominent in ASEAN whose economy continues growing, and the increase in demand for Japanese food ingredients becomes evidently notable as Japanese food booms in recent years. Pocket Marche aligns with Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Kuroneko Yamato”) over information system while Kuroneko Yamato considers expansion of its business in ASEAN is the key to growth. PIEF, with experiences in business development activities cultivated in ASESAN countries, plays a role to connect the consumer network in the regions to Kuroneko Yamato’s expansion of its business and aims to provide full support for further growth of Pocket Marche.

Company Information

Pocket Marche Co., Ltd.
446-2 Fujisawa-cho, Hanamaki-City, Iwate
Hiroyuki Takahashi, CEO
Founded on 10 February 2015
Capital：69,050,000 JPY
URL：http://www.pocket-marche.com/

Contact

Toshiki Shimizu
PNB Inspire Partners Corporation
+80.3.6892.1133