Key Takeaways
- DENSO has acquired a partial equity stake in FoodVentures, making it a consolidated subsidiary of the DENSO Group.
- The partnership will support the global deployment of a One-Stop Solution for stable and predictable agricultural production.
- DENSO has been building its agriculture business since 2017, applying automotive manufacturing technologies to greenhouse horticulture.
- FoodVentures brings over a decade of experience in cultivation technologies and operational support across multiple countries and climates.
- The move follows DENSO’s recent additions of Certhon, Axia, and a partnership with Delphy to strengthen its agricultural portfolio.
DENSO Expands Agricultural Business With FoodVentures Acquisition
DENSO Corporation and FoodVentures have announced that DENSO has acquired a partial equity stake in FoodVentures, making the company a consolidated subsidiary. The capital partnership is aimed at strengthening collaboration to globally deploy what the companies call a One-Stop Solution, which enables stable and predictable agricultural production through an integrated approach.
Growing Global Demand for Local Agricultural Production
Changes in social conditions — including the progression of climate change, declining farming populations in some areas, and the growing importance of food security — have accelerated efforts worldwide to secure agricultural production and improve food self-sufficiency. New entrants into the agricultural sector are emerging, and demand is increasing globally for sustainably local-grown agricultural production.
DENSO’s Agriculture Strategy Since 2017
DENSO has positioned agriculture as a new pillar of its business since 2017 and further strengthened this commitment in 2022 by incorporating it into its articles of incorporation. The company has applied technologies developed through automotive component manufacturing — including production process design, sensing, and image processing — to advance environmental control and automation technologies for greenhouse horticulture.
DENSO has also been building partnerships with companies that hold expertise in greenhouses, seeds and seedlings, and cultivation technologies. In 2023, the company welcomed Certhon, a provider of advanced horticultural greenhouses, into the DENSO Group. In 2025, DENSO added Axia, a developer and distributor of tomato seeds and seedlings, and entered into a joint development agreement with Delphy, a global cultivation consulting company.
What FoodVentures Brings to the DENSO Group
FoodVentures has worked for more than 10 years to provide solutions that combine cultivation technologies with operational support, with a focus on growing vegetables closer to consumers. The company has offered one-stop proposals to new entrants covering everything from business planning to cultivation, farm operations, and crop sales, and has also provided services that undertake actual farm operations. FoodVentures holds extensive expertise and a proven track record built through supporting greenhouse horticulture operators in many countries across all climates.
Leadership Perspectives on the Partnership
Yasushi Mukai, Executive Officer of DENSO’s Food Value Chain Business Unit, said the acquisition marks a significant step for the group’s agricultural ambitions. “By welcoming FoodVentures — which provides end-to-end support from business planning to cultivation, farm operations, and sales — into the DENSO Group, we have built a structure that enables us to deploy a One-Stop Solution globally that support the entire farming operation, beyond simply providing technology,” Mukai said.
FoodVentures CEO Dirk Aleven noted that projects in the greenhouse sector are becoming larger and more complex, with new opportunities emerging such as the use of residual heat from data centers for greenhouse co-location. “This new partnership creates an opportunity to unite technology, expertise, and scale to better meet the needs of our customers,” Aleven said.
DENSO Group’s Path Forward
Going forward, the DENSO Group will offer integrated solutions of technology and know-how globally through FoodVentures, aimed at maximizing customer profitability. Through these efforts, DENSO said it will accelerate initiatives toward enabling stable and predictable agricultural production.
