Oishii, the New Jersey-based vertical-farm operator behind the Omakase, Koyo, and Nikko Berry lines, will close 2026 in more than 500 U.S. retail locations across 25 states — more than doubling its points of distribution in a single year. The Q4 surge adds three first-time retail partners and expands an existing one, with growth concentrated along the East Coast and into the Southeast.
New Doors, New Markets
The fresh accounts driving the expansion are Walmart (78 stores in New Jersey and Pennsylvania), The Fresh Market (84 Southeast locations including first-time entry into North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama), and Giant Food (30 stores in Maryland and Virginia). Sprouts Farmers Market, an existing partner, added 34 more locations in Florida and Georgia, growing Oishii's Sprouts presence from 20 stores to 65 — a 225% increase — following a successful Northeast launch earlier in the year.
The workhorse SKU behind the push is the Premium Grade Nikko Berry, a 7.5-ounce package with a $7.99 MSRP. Oishii restructured its lineup earlier in 2026 into Premium, Reserve, and Connoisseur Grade tiers, with the Nikko positioned at the accessible end for mass grocery distribution. The package features new Stay-Fresh top-seal technology that uses 80% less plastic than a traditional clamshell and extends shelf life by 33% — a spec that gives the company enough logistics headroom to ship to more distant markets without quality loss.
Farm Scale Behind the Retail Gains
Meeting demand at that velocity required significant upstream investment. Since January, Oishii increased Nikko Berry production by 282%, improved sellable yield per plant by 100%, and grew total robotic-harvested berry volume by 50%. Upgrades to farm conveyance systems and continued R&D activity in both the U.S. and Japan supported those gains. The company operates what it describes as the world's largest indoor vertical Smart Farm, growing pesticide-free, Non-GMO Project Verified strawberries year-round using controlled environment conditions and natural bee pollination.
"With our Nikko Berry, we are better able to meet those needs while making the Oishii experience part of more consumers' everyday shopping habits," said Rita Hudetz, Oishii's Chief Commercial Officer, pointing to consumer demand for consistency in flavor, ripeness, and freshness as a tailwind for the brand's retail expansion.
What It Means for Grocery Produce Sets
The Oishii rollout lands at a moment when premium and specialty produce is gaining shelf real estate in mainstream grocery — a trend that carries implications for convenience retailers watching adjacent fresh-food categories. Indoor-grown strawberries at Walmart represent a meaningful step toward mainstream price normalization for vertical-farm produce, a segment that has historically skewed toward specialty and natural grocers. The Nikko's $7.99 MSRP is positioned well below Oishii's Reserve and Connoisseur tiers, signaling a deliberate play for broader household penetration rather than limited gift-market volume.
For c-store operators tracking fresh produce and better-for-you snacking as a footprint differentiator, the vertical-farm supply model — consistent year-round output, extended shelf life, traceable provenance — addresses several recurring friction points around shrink and supply reliability that have historically slowed fresh expansion in forecourt retail. Oishii says it will focus near-term on deepening its presence in existing markets and supporting its growing base of grocery partners. A store locator is available at oishii.com/pages/store-locator.
Operators interested in how premium fresh categories are reshaping the grocery and convenience retail perimeter will want to watch how the Nikko Berry's mainstream Walmart placement performs through the holiday quarter.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
