On Aug. 4, Japanese agricultural startup CULTA [3] announced that Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had published the registration applications for three strawberry [4] varieties independently developed by the company. These three varieties combine rich flavor and high yield with firm flesh that makes them well suited for transport.

The red strawberry CULTA-T16KLN (Daruma Drops) is an early-maturing variety with uniform fruit appearance and a well-rounded taste. The white strawberry CULTA-T22KLN (Yukimi Drops) offers better taste and higher yield compared with existing white strawberry varieties, along with strong disease resistance. The pink strawberry CULTA-T27KLN (Nadeshiko Drops) combines aroma, taste and high yield with firm flesh that holds up during long-distance transport even in the summer heat. Both the white and pink varieties feature distinctive fruit colors and were developed specifically for the gift-giving and premium markets.

CULTA is an agricultural startup founded in 2017. Instead of relying on traditional trial-and-error crossbreeding, it uses two AI models — one to predict which parent combinations are likely to produce strong offspring, and another to predict how a new variety will perform once grown. Breeding then takes place in a dedicated facility where temperature, nutrients and growing conditions are tightly controlled, allowing CULTA to develop and select promising varieties far faster than conventional methods. Altogether, this has cut the time needed to develop a new strawberry variety from the traditional 10 years down to just two.

CULTA runs a vertically integrated model similar to Zespri’s approach to kiwifruit [5]: it commissions partner farmers to grow its proprietary varieties, buys the full harvest at a fixed price, and then handles branding, sales and export under its own label. This allows the company to tailor each variety’s color, flavor and transport durability to its target market and decide directly where each variety gets sold.

In 2025, CULTA commercialized its first independently developed variety, CULTA-T3L, sold under the brand name Sakura Drops. It quickly became the company’s flagship product, prized for its heat tolerance during growth, high sweetness, firm flesh, ease of harvest and suitability for long-distance transport. Building on this track record, CULTA raised 700 million Japanese yen (approximately $4.5 million at the time) in a pre-series A funding round in March 2026.

In 2026, CULTA expanded its production in Japan and Malaysia and grew its export footprint to five markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand and the United States. By 2027, the company expects its cultivation area to exceed 10 hectares in Japan and reach 5 hectares in Malaysia. In addition to strawberries, CULTA is also developing new grape and apple varieties.

Image: CULTA

This article was based on a Chinese article. Read the original article [6].