“We are excited to begin harvesting Chinese eggplant grown on our farm in Retalhuleu, Guatemala, with our production season starting in December and running through May,” said Marc Holbik, director of grower relations for Ecoripe Tropicals in Medley, FL. “This variety of specialty eggplant is less bitter with a very thin edible skin and an elongated shape.”

Ecoripe Tropicals’ Chinese eggplant is packed in 30-pound boxes, 48 boxes to a pallet. When stored at 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the product has a shelf life of 14 days from the farm.

“Our eggplant line, including the Chinese eggplant, is available for distribution across the U.S. and Canada from our refrigerated warehouse facility in Medley,” Holbik noted. “It is where we import other oriental vegetables from Honduras as well.”

He added that this import season the company’s line will also include papayas from Guatemala, mangos from Peru, okra from Honduras and various root vegetables from Costa Rica.

Ecoripe Tropicals carries a diverse line of Asian fruits and vegetables. The line was originally developed specifically for Chinese, Indian, Hispanic and Southeast Asian cuisines, but these foods have become highly desired by mainstream foodies who want to experience new, interesting and flavorful dishes. As the interest and demand has increased in recent years, so too has Ecoripe’s lineup and operation.

The company’s extensive line of fruits range from the more commonly known mangos and papayas to the more unique June plum and passion fruit — and just about everything in between. In recent years, the company has become very well known for its high-quality Rambutan program. In addition to Chinese eggplant, the company vegetable line includes Indian and Thai eggplant, long beans, tun, numerous pepper and squash varieties and much more. It also offers a full line of Asian and Hispanic root items, such as Eddoes, yucca, malanga, boniato and ginger.

The company’s journey started on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, where it began cultivating papayas in the late 1990s.

In 2004, with over a decade of production experience under its belt, the import office soon to be named Ecoripe Tropicals opened in south Florida. In 2010, it inaugurated its new facility in Medley, where it now has a food- safety-certified cold storage facility and its main sales and administrative offices.

“In company news, Luis Garces has been promoted to operations manager at our Medley headquarters,” said Holbik. “He will oversee and further develop our warehousing, logistics and quality control departments.”

Ecoripe Tropicals continues its vision as being a leader in the produce industry by consistently serving as a catalyst of success for its customers, vendors and employees.

“We are achieving this vision by continuing to provide excellent customer service, sourcing and delivering the best-quality fresh produce and by basing all our actions and decisions on the highest standards of integrity and professionalism,” said Holbik.