Ethylene partnership formed to expand service in China

Several years ago, at the Florida Ag Expo, Catalytic Generators LLC was displaying its line of ethylene generators and Ethy-Gen^® II Ripening Concentrate. With almost 50 years of service to fruit ripeners across the world, the company was looking to expand its business in China. As fate would have it, in the most unlikely of places, a partnership was formed to do just that.

The partnership was born at the Florida Ag Expo years ago.

Intrigued by the sight of ethylene generators, Chenglin Cong stopped to visit the company’s booth. A graduate of the University of Florida and now managing director for Lind Industrial Control Co., Ltd., Cong saw an opportunity to add ethylene application products to his company’s line of fruit ripening systems. “We wanted to not only design and build ripening chambers, but also provide our customers with the ethylene they need to ripen,” says Cong.

“We wanted to not only design and build ripening chambers, but also provide our customers with the ethylene they need to ripen,” says Cong.

“Finding a new partner at a regional trade show was quite amazing,” said Steve Page, vice-president & COO for Catalytic Generators. A few months after discussing the opportunities in Florida, the two companies started with just a few small orders. Just two years later, Lind sells Catalytic’s products to several major customers in China and the business is growing. This past September, Lind successfully exhibited the products at the Fruit Expo 2021 & World Fruit Industry Conference.

“Lind has many successful projects of fruit ripening chambers in China, providing customers all over the country with the best customer service and the highest quality products,” said Cong. “Given the history of convenience and safety of the company’s Easy-Ripe^® Generator and Ethy-Gen® II Concentrate, we knew our customers would want this equipment in their ripening chambers.”

The Easy-Ripe Generator with Dole bananas.

Headquartered in the beautiful coastal city of Weihai, Shandong Province, Lind has been in business since 1997. Catalytic Generators began in 1973, creating the world’s first ethylene generator for fruit ripening. “It is in many ways a perfect partnership for us both,” added Page. “Bringing together two companies with a similar focus of supplying equipment for premium ripening just seemed to make sense.”