With the rambutan season in the thick of it, importers are seeing the commodity grow, but at a cost.
“As volumes of rambutan have increased every season, we’ve seen the market prices decline and this season has continued that trend,” says Marc Holbik of Miami, Fl.-based Ecoripe Tropicals. “But the competitive pricing has helped rambutan become much more accessible in the market and grow from being a niche ethnic item to where it is now.”
Middle of season
Rambutan, a more exotic tree fruit that’s related to the lychee, is in the midst of its season and Holbik says heavy volumes are arriving by air daily. “The majority of our product is coming in from Guatemala, with Costa Rica and Honduras complementing,” says Holbik. He adds that volumes should continue strong through October with lighter volumes in November and wrapping up the season in December.
Meanwhile, Ecoripe is also expanding its organic line this fall by introducing three new organic items: limes from Colombia, ginger from Peru and coconuts from Thailand. “We’re committed to increasing our distribution of certified organic produce, and look forward to assisting companies with the same goal,” says Holbik.
This is the kind of expansion Ecoripe is sure to talk about at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit, held this October 19-20 in Orlando, Fl. “The Fresh Summit always has a very exciting vibe that highlights the dynamic and challenging nature of fresh produce distribution and agricultural production,” says Holbik. Ecoripe’s goal at the show is to not only share its tropical and ethnic produce with the industry, but to also encourage more produce departments to diversify what products they carry.
For more information:
Marc Holbik
Ecoripe Tropicals
Tel: +1 305 889 1734
marc@ecoripe.com
ecoripe.com