DREAM PONY Launches Amazon-Specialized Plant and Seedling Retail Franchise 'Green Flow'

DREAM PONY Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Tsuyuki Ichinose) has launched the retail franchise 'Green Flow (Green Flow),' specialized in selling plants and seedlings on Amazon. This genre-specific franchise model allows the headquarters to handle operational tasks such as product listing, market research, customer support, and account management, enabling franchisees to engage in business with minimal effort focused primarily on procurement and shipment confirmation.

From Extensive Account Testing to Focusing on 'Seedlings'

Green Flow is not a brand born from theoretical planning.

The project leader joined our merchandise franchise 'DPS (DREAM PONY SYSTEM)' as a franchisee in December 2024. After gaining hands-on experience in retail operations, they became a supervisor supporting franchisees in July 2025.

Then, in August 2025, the company launched 60 Amazon accounts and began sales verification across multiple categories, including general goods, accessories, books, minerals, and gardening. After approximately six months of comparative testing, the decision was made in February 2026 to focus exclusively on 'plants and seedlings.'

Rather than 'offering a wide variety of products,' the conviction gained from this testing was that 'deeply mastering a single category' leads to better results for franchisees. Green Flow, launched in March 2026, packages this insight into a replicable franchise model.

Why 'Plants and Seedlings'?

1. Stable Market Foundation: Japan's gardening and home gardening market is valued at 233.4 billion yen (2024 fiscal year). With 230.4 billion yen in 2019 and a projected 239.4 billion yen by 2029, it is a stable, lifestyle-adjacent market with steady, slight growth resistant to economic fluctuations. Demand for vegetable and fruit seedlings for home gardening is expanding, driven by rising prices and food self-sufficiency trends. *Source: Yano Economic Research Institute, 'Survey on Gardening and Home Gardening Market (2024).'

2. E-commerce Growth Potential: Japan's merchandise e-commerce market is 15.2 trillion yen, with an e-commerce penetration rate of 9.8%. However, the gardening and home center sector's e-commerce rate remains around 5–6%, with about 80% of purchases still occurring in physical stores (home centers). This indicates one of the largest categories with potential for shifting from offline to online. *Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 'Market Survey on Electronic Commerce (2025, August).'

3. Compatibility with Amazon: High-intent search traffic for terms like 'indoor plants,' 'seedlings,' and 'succulents,' seasonal demand throughout the year (e.g., spring repotting, autumn/winter gifts), repeat purchases due to replanting and replenishment during plant growth, and established packaging and nationwide shipping expertise. Plants and seedlings are structurally well-suited to the Amazon platform.

Business Model: Headquarters Handles Operations, Franchisees Focus on 'Procurement and Shipment Confirmation'

The greatest feature of Green Flow is that the headquarters takes over operational tasks that traditionally burden franchisees in merchandise franchises.

Listing Franchisee Headquarters

Market Research Franchisee Headquarters

Specialized Tools Required by Franchisee Not Required

Customer Support Franchisee Headquarters

Account Management Self-Responsibility Headquarters

Required Equipment PC Required Smartphone Only

Procurement Franchisee Franchisee

Shipping Franchisee Confirmation and Shipping Notification Only

Sales use a hybrid model combining dropshipping (procuring after orders) and in-stock sourcing from partner farms. The 'Headquarters Operation Guarantee' model, where the headquarters leads product listings based on bestsellers and market trends, monitors sales performance, and adjusts operational strategies, is designed to be accessible even for beginners and corporations.

'Cultivating People, Regions, and the Future Through Plant Distribution'

Green Flow is not merely a retail business.

In rural areas, there are many untapped resources—people, places, and connections. Through the distribution of plants, a lifestyle-embedded product, we aim to create jobs in local communities and establish new economic cycles. DREAM PONY positions Green Flow as a project themed around regional revitalization and greening, expanding operations centered on partnerships with local farms.

Mission: Cultivating people, regions, and the future through plant distribution

Vision: Creating a society where Japan turns green from the regions, and prosperity circulates

CEO Statement

Not many people take action when they think, 'I want to change something.' We want to be the 'first spark' that sets our franchisees' lives in motion. Green Flow is a project that, through a lifestyle-embedded product—plants—creates jobs in local communities, expands new possibilities in distribution, and gradually turns all of Japan greener. We aim not only to generate profit but also to create a system that gives back to society.

Tsuyuki Ichinose, CEO, DREAM PONY Co., Ltd.

Franchise Inquiries

Green Flow offers free consultations for those considering joining. Due to our support structure, enrollment is limited to weekly intake slots. For details, please contact us via the official website below.

Green Flow Official Website: https://green-flow-fc.com/