A new hub fostering the future of sustainable food has opened in Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato City, Tokyo. This hub, called “Sustainable Food Lab,” is designed as a base for startups aiming to create food innovations in urban areas. It will serve as a gathering place for companies focused on solving societal issues in the food sector, with the goal of supporting the development of a sustainable food culture throughout the region.
Urban Redevelopment Plan for the Shimbashi-Toranomon Area through Food Innovation
The new “Sustainable Food Lab” facility was developed in collaboration between Nittetsu Kowa Real Estate Co., Ltd., Sustainable Food Asia Co., Ltd. (SFA), and the Urban Renaissance Agency (UR). Its purpose is to support the growth of startups that focus on food, with the aim of driving innovation throughout the region. The lab is expected to foster collaboration with local residents and businesses, amplifying its impact in the community.
The “Sustainable Food Lab” is equipped with two main features. The first is an open kitchen space located on the ground floor. Here, startup companies can conduct test marketing for new products or run pop-up stores, offering trial cooking sessions and tastings to visitors. This space is ideal for presenting ingredients and unveiling new menus, with an adjacent presentation area for immediate business discussions.
The second feature is a shared office on the fourth floor. This coworking space offers 18 seats and includes dedicated lockers, phone booths, and commercial-grade refrigerators to facilitate the operations of startup businesses. By establishing a business hub in the city center, users can engage in efficient business activities.
The opening of the “Sustainable Food Lab” is also part of a larger urban redevelopment plan for the Shimbashi-Toranomon area. This plan involves repurposing small buildings to create multiple activity hubs for startups, with the goal of promoting innovation centered around food. Nittetsu Kowa Real Estate and UR are working to strengthen ties not only with startups but also with local residents and nearby office workers, aiming to cultivate a sustainable food culture across the entire community.
The “Sustainable Food Lab” is also expected to play a key role in the rapidly growing “Food Tech” field, which has gained significant attention in recent years. Food Tech is an industry that drives technological innovation across the food supply chain, from production to processing, distribution, and consumption, generating new business models both domestically and internationally. In Japan, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is leading efforts to support the development of Food Tech businesses through public-private-academic collaborations, and the “Sustainable Food Lab” is positioned as part of these efforts.
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