Ame Kaze Taiyo, Inc.
5616・Growth Market・Information & Communication
Business
Amefuto Taiyo Co., Ltd. operates under the mission of "stirring up cities and rural areas," running three businesses—food e-commerce, travel, and local government support—centered on its direct-from-producer app "Poketto Marche." It launched Japan's first smartphone-based direct-from-producer platform in 2016, and as of the end of December 2025, it has approximately 9,000 producers and approximately 900,000 users nationwide. The company consists of two segments, Consumer Services (direct-from-producer e-commerce, travel, matchmaking) and Corporate Services (local government outsourcing business, B2B Food Ingredient Sales), with its producer network spanning 1,605 municipalities nationwide (90.9% of all municipalities) serving as the source of its competitive advantage. The company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in December 2023.
Business Model
Main revenue comes from transaction fees (sales commissions) on "Poketto Marche," with the food business accounting for approximately 64% of net sales. In addition, revenue sources include municipal and producer fees from the furusato nozei (hometown tax) platform, subscription sales, outsourcing fees from local governments, "Pokemaru Oyako Chiho Ryugaku" participation fees, and "STAY JAPAN" accommodation commissions. As a platform-type business, the advertising expense ratio to net sales has declined from 92% in 2020 to 6% in 2025, demonstrating the emergence of cost leverage effects as scale expands.
Company Strengths
As of the end of December 2025, approximately 9,000 producers nationwide were registered, spanning 1,605 municipalities out of all 1,765 municipalities nationwide (90.9%). This wide-area network extends beyond direct-from-producer e-commerce and serves as the foundation for local government outsourced projects, the travel business, and Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation), functioning as a barrier to entry that enables horizontal expansion into other services.
The repeat purchase rate among all purchasers of Poketto Marche is approximately 80%, with an average of about 2.5 purchases per month (based on the 2022 average for continuing purchase users). Since the service launch, the cumulative number of communications between producers and consumers has reached 12,745,813, with high engagement forming a stable revenue base.
In the fiscal year ended December 2025, the company recorded recurring profit of ¥20 million, achieving its first recurring profit surplus since listing. Selling, general and administrative expenses were significantly reduced to ¥682 million (down 17.1% year on year). The combined effects of the start of capitalization of development costs, normalization of shipping costs following the end of subsidized projects, and organizational efficiency improvements caused the operating loss to shrink rapidly from ¥156 million in the previous period to ¥7 million.
ENVALITH's Perspective
Performance Trend
Revenue grew only modestly, from ¥957 million in FY2023 to ¥1,016 million in FY2024 and ¥1,028 million in FY2025 (up 0.6% year on year in FY2025), while operating loss shrank rapidly from ¥230 million to ¥161 million to ¥7 million. The main driver was a 17.1% reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses (to ¥682 million), reflecting a combination of factors including the start of capitalizing development costs, normalization of shipping costs following the end of subsidized programs, and organizational efficiency improvements. Ordinary income turned positive at ¥20 million, but a goodwill impairment loss of ¥29 million left a net loss of ¥4 million for the period. The improving profitability trend is clear, and establishing a sustained operating profit is the next focus.
Growth Strategy
Deepening profitability of the Poketto Marche platform and building diversified growth through establishing the travel and local government businesses as second growth pillars
To capture growth in the food e-commerce market (¥3,116.3 billion in 2024, up 106.4% year on year), the company is strengthening SEO measures while curbing advertising expenses, lowering the cost of acquisition per user while expanding new user acquisition. It is also pursuing improvements in LTV in parallel through cross-selling of subscriptions and Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation).
Against the backdrop of the cabinet decision on the "Furusato Resident Registration System," the company has secured new projects in the relationship population domain. The number of contracted projects in FY2025 reached an all-time high of 67, exceeding the target of 60. Given that transactions have been conducted with only a portion of Japan's 1,765 local governments, there remains substantial room for expansion.
In April 2025, the company acquired the accommodation booking site "STAY JAPAN" (approximately 1,000 listings), beginning efforts to capture inbound demand. "Pokemaru Oyako Chiho Ryugaku" saw participation from 186 families (475 individuals) across 7 regions in summer 2025, an increase of approximately 30% year on year, and received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award at the Tour Grand Prix 2024.
In February 2026, the company opened "HANAMAKI BASE," a relationship population creation hub combining accommodation, co-working space, and an exchange lounge, in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, and relocated its head office there. The company itself embodies a model case for relationship population solutions targeted at local governments, aiming for horizontal expansion nationwide.
The food business still accounted for a high 64.0% of net sales in FY2025. The company is pursuing diversification of revenue sources by nurturing the travel business, the local government support business, and the matchmaking business (Chihokon!, launched in October 2024), aiming to stabilize its growth foundation over the medium to long term.
Last updated: April 28, 2026