TRI-STATE FOLIAGE

What TRI-STATE FOLIAGE does

Tri State Foliage is a privately held wholesale plant distributor founded in 1985 and headquartered in the Cincinnati, Ohio tri-state region (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana). The company supplies tropical foliage, blooming plants, citrus, cacti, succulents, rare specimens, and related hard goods to retail garden centers, interiorscapers, professional landscapers, and plant retailers. Its catalog spans 60+ plant categories with pot sizes ranging from 2" to 21" specimens, and it operates a portfolio of sub-brands including Cali Tropics, Cali Cacti, Sorensen, Foliage Wonder (fertilizers), and Royal Gold Soils, with plant sourcing concentrated in Florida and California growers.

The company's technology platform is a standard e-commerce website with two distinct shopping modes — In-House for immediate delivery of in-stock items and Prebook for advance ordering from a wider selection — supplemented by a Quick Order Form for repeat buyers and weekly availability email signups. The platform does not appear to incorporate proprietary AI/ML or data flywheel mechanics. Sales operations are sales-led and account-based: prospective wholesale buyers must complete a new customer application and credit application before purchasing, indicating a traditional B2B wholesale credit-and-fulfillment model rather than a self-serve transactional marketplace.

Tri State Foliage generates revenue through one-time wholesale transactions of case-quantity plants and hard goods, with pricing undisclosed and gated behind account login. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, no leadership changes, no patents, and no certifications in the available data. Marketing is limited to a weekly availability email newsletter and the website as a product showcase. The business appears to be a long-established, owner-operated regional wholesaler with incremental product-line expansion rather than transformative growth initiatives.

Name

TRI-STATE FOLIAGE

Legal name

Tri State Foliage

Website

https://tristatefoliage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tri State Foliage is a Cincinnati-based wholesale distributor, founded in 1985, supplying tropical foliage, blooming plants, and hard goods to garden centers, landscapers, and plant retailers across the Midwest from Florida and California growers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Plant Nursery Supply

NAICS

Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers (444), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Gardening, Lawn & Outdoor Living Distribution (CRAOAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB), Soils, Mulch, Fertilizers & Lawn Care Chemicals Retail (CRAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Wholesale tropical foliage
• Wholesale plants supply
• Garden center wholesale
• Interiorscape plant supply
• Wholesale nursery distributor

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: B2B wholesale sales of foliage plants, tropical plants, citrus, cacti, succulents, and related products. Products sold in case quantities with minimum order requirements. Revenue derived from direct wholesale transactions with retail garden centers, landscapers, and other plant resellers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Tri State Foliage is a wholesale plant nursery supplying tropical foliage, blooming plants, citrus, cacti, succulents, and large specimen plants (2" to 21" pots) to garden centers, interiorscapers, landscapers, and plant retailers. Customers must complete a new-customer and credit application to open a wholesale account, then order through an account-gated e-commerce site offering two modes: In-House (immediate delivery of in-stock items) and Prebook (advance ordering of a wider selection), supported by hard goods such as Royal Gold Soils, Foliage Wonder fertilizer, ceramic pots, and Kokedama.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cali Tropics: Brand featuring California-grown tropical plants including ferns, begonias, string of hearts, and maidenhair ferns
• Cali Cacti
• Sorensen
• Foliage Wonder
• Royal Gold Soils

Products and services

• In-House Plants Wholesale potted plants available for immediate delivery from in-house inventory, including tropical foliage, palms, citrus, cacti, succulents, and flowering plants in sizes from 2" to 17" pots. Sold to approved wholesale accounts.
• Prebook Plants Pre-order catalog of plants for future delivery, offering the widest selection of available items for planned wholesale procurement.
• Citrus Collection Specialized wholesale citrus trees including lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, kumquat, and tangerine varieties, sold as bushes and standard trees in sizes from 5" to 17" pots.
• Citrus - Full Catalog Complete wholesale citrus product range including bushes and standard trees in lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, kumquat, and tangerine varieties.
• Rare Plants Collection Uncommon and collector-grade wholesale plants including rare philodendrons, alocasias, euphorbias, and specialty varieties in small to large sizes.
• Big Stuff Collection Large wholesale specimen plants in 14" to 21" pots including ficus, palms, olives, strelitzia, and yucca for interior landscapes and commercial installations.
• Hanging Baskets Wholesale trailing and cascading plants in hanging basket format including pothos, hoya, string of hearts, and tropical vines.
• Trending Tropicals Wholesale popular tropical plants including alocasias, epipremnums, philodendrons, and scindapsus varieties.
• Royal Gold Soils Wholesale premium soil blends including Kings Mix, Planting Mix, Potting Mix, and Special Reserve formulated for professional growers.
• Ceramic Pots Wholesale decorative ceramic containers in glossy, matte, straight, and tapered designs across multiple colors for plant presentation.
• Plants in Ceramic Wholesale pre-planted combinations of succulents and cacti arranged in decorative ceramic containers for resale.
• Kokedama Wholesale Japanese moss ball plant presentations using the traditional kokedama technique.
• Foliage Wonder Wholesale specialized fertilizer product line formulated for foliage plant nutrition.
• Hard Goods Wholesale supporting products including moss, plant support, pots, saucers, sleeves, and soil for plant care and presentation.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses: Specialty wholesale grower of tropical foliage plants supplying retailers and interiorscapers across North America. Highly comparable in product focus (tropicals, foliage) and B2B wholesale motion.
• Tropical Plant International (TPI): Wholesale distributor of tropical plants, foliage, and seasonal items to retail garden centers and florists. Near-identical B2B model, customer base, and product categories to Tri State Foliage.
• Excelsa Gardens: Rare and unusual tropical plant specialist wholesaler. Comparable niche focus on collector-grade philodendrons, alocasias, and rare aroids serving retail and interiorscape customers.
• ForemostCo: Wholesale tropical foliage distributor serving North American interiorscapers and retail growers. Closely comparable B2B wholesale model, similar product mix of tropicals and foliage, and overlapping customer base of interiorscapers and garden centers.

Broad incumbents

• Greenleaf Nursery Company: Large wholesale nursery producing and distributing ornamental plants, including tropicals and foliage, to garden centers and landscape professionals. Broader ornamental catalog than Tri State but overlapping B2B wholesale channels.
• Proven Winners: Branded wholesale plant supplier to independent garden centers across North America. Comparable B2B motion selling premium-branded plants into retail garden center customers.
• Ball Horticultural Company: Major global breeder and wholesale distributor of ornamental plant genetics to the horticulture industry. Comparable B2B wholesale channel into garden centers but operating upstream in breeding as well.
• Monrovia Nursery Company: National branded wholesale nursery supplying garden centers with ornamental and landscape plants. Comparable wholesale-to-garden-center motion with a much larger catalog and national brand presence.
• Costa Farms: One of the largest North American growers and wholesalers of tropical foliage and indoor plants. Directly comparable product categories (aglaonema, philodendron, alocasia, succulents) but at vastly greater scale and with national distribution.

Others

• PanAmerican Seed: Wholesale supplier of flower and ornamental seeds/seedlings to the greenhouse and nursery trade. Adjacent rather than direct: comparable B2B horticulture supply model but focused on seed-started annuals rather than tropical finished foliage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tri-state-foliage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TRI-STATE FOLIAGE