Greenspoon

Greenspoon Inc., established in May 2019, operates as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) wellness food brand in Japan, centered on a vision of helping people live lives where they can continue to like themselves. The company was founded by Tomonori Tanabe, who serves as CEO, and was joined by co-founders including COO Ren Kurosaki. Tanabe's journey prior to Greenspoon involved roles in digital marketing and media business at CyberAgent, followed by a two-year period of travel across the U.S. and Europe. This experience highlighted the importance of self-care in fostering self-esteem, inspiring him to create a service focused on physical and mental well-being through accessible nutrition. The founding team, despite lacking prior experience in the food industry, identified a shared personal challenge: maintaining a healthy diet amidst busy work schedules.

The company's core offering is GREEN SPOON, a subscription-based service delivering frozen, one-step meal kits. Its business model primarily targets busy individuals, particularly women in their late 20s and 30s, who struggle to incorporate sufficient vegetables into their diets. Revenue is generated through a subscription plan, which accounts for over 90% of purchases, with a la carte options also available. A key milestone was the acquisition by Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. in June 2024, making Greenspoon a wholly-owned subsidiary to leverage Glico's extensive resources for further brand growth, though the existing management team remains in place. By June 2024, the service had surpassed 150,000 cumulative members.

Greenspoon's product line includes smoothies, soups, salads, and main dishes, with over 40 recipes in total. A unique feature is the personalization engine; customers answer a short quiz about their lifestyle and health concerns to receive customized recommendations from a wide array of recipes. The products are delivered as frozen, pre-portioned, raw ingredients, requiring a final preparation step by the user, such as blending a smoothie or heating a soup. This deliberate "single step" is designed to create a sense of cooking and personal care, distinguishing it from fully prepared ready-to-eat meals and enhancing the customer's feeling of self-investment. The meals are developed to be free of artificial additives, and the company has expanded its reach through collaborations, including a limited-edition smoothie launch in FamilyMart convenience stores.

Keywords: food subscription, meal kit delivery, D2C food brand, wellness food, healthy eating, frozen meals, personalized nutrition, Japanese startup, direct-to-consumer, smoothies, vegetable delivery, health-conscious, food tech, ready-to-cook, subscription box, corporate wellness, online food service, Ezaki Glico, Tomonori Tanabe, self-care