ForemostCo
ForemostCo is a wholesale B2B supplier of tropical plant starter material — liners, cuttings, air layers, and tissue-cultured plants — serving commercial growers, nurseries, interior landscapers, and landscape contractors across the U.S., with production operations in Guatemala and Costa Rica.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersMiami, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ForemostCo does
ForemostCo is a privately-held wholesale B2B supplier of tropical plant starter material founded in 1987 by Joe Roberts as 'Foremost Foliage' and headquartered in Doral, Florida. The company distributes liners, un-rooted cuttings, rooted/callused cuttings, air layers, and tissue-cultured young plants — including 67 tropical foliage varieties, 22 tropical flowering varieties, plus succulents (28 varieties), air plants, carnivorous plants (4 varieties), groundcovers, and landscape plants (35 varieties) — to commercial wholesale growers, nurseries, interior landscapers, and landscape contractors across the United States. International production is operated through wholly-owned subsidiaries Phoenix Foliage (Winter Garden, Florida R&D), VITA Farms (Guatemala), Ornamentales Sapo Verde, and OSV Farm (Costa Rica), with global sourcing relationships and exclusive U.S. rights to KP Holland's Curcuma genetics.
The business operates a sales-led go-to-market model: dedicated territory managers handle existing accounts and onboard new customers; pricing is quote-based and F.O.B. point of shipment, with credit-card payment processing via Square and ACH transfers via Plaid. ForemostCo differentiates through patented plant genetics (eight granted plant patents covering Aglaonema and Curcuma Siam varieties), proprietary Croton Thai Dye cultivars (Gnarly, Groovy, Twisted), and trade recognition including Cultivate's 2019 Retailers' Choice Award and TPIE 2020 Cool Product Award. The company's compliance posture covers PCI DSS, GDPR, and CCPA.
Customer acquisition is concentrated at industry trade shows (MANTS, TPIE, IPM Essen, Cultivate, FlowerTrials, Canadian Greenhouse Conference), supplemented by a self-serve website ordering portal, weekly availability PDFs, and an educational 'Growing Smarter' content program. With 101–250 employees and no disclosed institutional funding, the company self-positions as 'one of the largest importers of live plants to the United States.' Revenue is not publicly disclosed.
ForemostCo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ForemostCo
- Legal name
- ForemostCo, Inc.
- Website
- https://foremostco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- ForemostCo is a wholesale B2B supplier of tropical plant starter material — liners, cuttings, air layers, and tissue-cultured plants — serving commercial growers, nurseries, interior landscapers, and landscape contractors across the U.S., with production operations in Guatemala and Costa Rica.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ForemostCo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wholesale Tropical Plant Nursery
- NAICS
- Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fresh Vegetable Wholesale (AFAIACAB)
Keywords
Where ForemostCo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Miami
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
ForemostCo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Wholesale Tropical Plant Starter Material: Foremost generates revenue through B2B wholesale sales of tropical plant starter material including liners, unrooted cuttings, rooted/callused cuttings, and air layers to commercial growers, nurseries, and landscape professionals across the United States. Orders are placed through Territory Managers with pricing F.O.B. point of shipment.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
ForemostCo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ForemostCo is a wholesale grower and distributor of tropical plant starter material, supplying liners, un-rooted cuttings, rooted/callused cuttings, and air layers of 67+ tropical foliage varieties and 22+ tropical flowering varieties to commercial growers, nurseries, and landscape professionals across North America, the Caribbean, and Central America. The company also supplies Beyond Tropicals categories (air plants, succulents, groundcover, carnivorous plants, and landscape plants). Sourcing is supported by an international farm network spanning Vietnam, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico, with exclusive breeder partnerships (e.g., KP Holland for Curcuma, Varinova).
Product overview
ForemostCo is a wholesale tropical plant starter material supplier offering a comprehensive B2B product portfolio centered around tropical foliage and flowering plants. The company provides multiple starter material formats (liners, unrooted cuttings, rooted/callused cuttings, and air layers) from global suppliers. The core product categories include Tropical Foliage (67 varieties), Tropical Flowering (22 varieties), and Beyond Tropicals (landscape plants, air plants/Tillandsia, succulents, groundcover, and carnivorous plants). The Spotlight Collection features curated sub-brands including Aglaonema, Bromeliads, Curcuma, and Premium Soft Foliage. The company differentiates through technical growing support, nearly four decades of industry expertise, and relationships with top breeders and producers worldwide including exclusive U.S. partnership with KP Holland for Curcuma genetics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tropical Foliage
- Tropical Flowering
- Beyond Tropicals
- Curcuma (Spotlight Collection)
- Aglaonema (Spotlight Collection)
- Bromeliads (Spotlight Collection)
- Premium Soft Foliage (Spotlight Collection)
- Liners (Starter Material)
- Un-rooted Cuttings (Starter Material)
- Rooted/Callused Cuttings (Starter Material)
- Air Layers (Starter Material)
- Croton Thai Dye
- Pilea Depressa
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces crop loss through consistent quality starter material
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ForemostCo
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ForemostCo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
ForemostCo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- KP HollandcoreExclusive U.S. partnership for KP Holland Curcuma genetics. KP Holland is the only company globally that both breeds and produces Curcuma, providing Foremost access to elite varieties developed with full visibility into production performance, finishing quality, and retail handling. The partnership includes tissue culture production for consistent, uniform starting material at scale.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ForemostCo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Greenleaf Nursery Company: Large U.S. wholesale nursery producing ornamental shrubs, trees, and perennials. Comparable to Foremost as a wholesale grower serving landscape professionals and retail garden centers across multiple plant categories.
- Monrovia Nursery Company: California-based wholesale nursery growing ornamental plants, shrubs, and perennials. Comparable to Foremost as a wholesale grower-propagator supplying independent garden centers and landscape professionals with branded, premium plant material.
- Proven Winners: North American network of growers marketing branded annuals, perennials, and shrubs through a licensing model. Comparable to Foremost's branded Spotlight Collection approach (Curcuma Siam, Aglaonema Jazzed Gems) but with broader retail pull and stronger consumer brand.
- Costa Farms: One of the largest U.S. growers of tropical foliage and houseplants, based in Florida. Directly comparable to Foremost as a wholesale tropical plant producer selling through retail and B2B channels, but at significantly larger scale and with vertically integrated retail brands (Tradescantia, O2 for You).
- Dümmen Orange: Global breeder and propagator of ornamental plants (begonias, geraniums, poinsettias). Comparable to Foremost as a young-plant supplier working with proprietary genetics and licensed varieties; broader international footprint.
- EuroAmerican Propagators: U.S. wholesale propagator of branded ornamental plants (Proven Winners licensee in some categories). Comparable to Foremost as a young-plant producer with strong retail brands and broker relationships.
- Suntory Flowers: Japan-based plant breeder (parent of Suntory, Ltd.) developing and licensing branded ornamental varieties like SunPatiens and Surfinia. Comparable as a genetics-led player whose branded cuttings are distributed through regional young-plant suppliers including players like Foremost.
Emerging players
Broad incumbents
- Ball Horticultural Company: Major global horticulture company supplying seeds, cuttings, and young plants to growers. Overlaps with Foremost's wholesale starter material business but operates at much larger scale across many ornamental categories globally.
- Syngenta Flowers: Division of Syngenta breeding and producing flower seed and cuttings. Adjacent incumbent with comparable B2B horticulture input model but at far larger scale and with broader crop portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ForemostCo social profiles
Digital presenceForemostCo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
ForemostCo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ForemostCo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
ForemostCo subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
ForemostCo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ForemostCo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ForemostCo
What does ForemostCo do?
ForemostCo is a wholesale grower and distributor of tropical plant starter material, supplying liners, un-rooted cuttings, rooted/callused cuttings, and air layers of 67+ tropical foliage varieties and 22+ tropical flowering varieties to commercial growers, nurseries, and landscape professionals across North America, the Caribbean, and Central America. The company also supplies Beyond Tropicals categories (air plants, succulents, groundcover, carnivorous plants, and landscape plants). Sourcing is supported by an international farm network spanning Vietnam, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico, with exclusive breeder partnerships (e.g., KP Holland for Curcuma, Varinova).
Is ForemostCo a public or private company?
ForemostCo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ForemostCo founded?
ForemostCo was founded in 1987. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is ForemostCo based?
ForemostCo is headquartered in Miami, United States, in the North America region.
How does ForemostCo make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Tropical Plant Starter Material.
Who are ForemostCo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Greenleaf Nursery Company, Monrovia Nursery Company, Proven Winners, Costa Farms, Dümmen Orange, EuroAmerican Propagators and Suntory Flowers. PlantHaven International is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Ball Horticultural Company and Syngenta Flowers.
Does ForemostCo have an API?
No public API is recorded for ForemostCo.
What industry is ForemostCo in?
ForemostCo's product category is Wholesale Tropical Plant Nursery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIACAB, Fresh Vegetable Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 42448 and its SIC code is 5150.