Company flags Europe as a strategic growth market and prepares to launch digital control and remote monitoring in fruit ripening operations worldwide
Catalytic Generators, the specialist in ethylene application systems for fruit ripening, has closed 2025 on a strong trajectory and advanced its global growth plans at Fruit Logistica 2026, engaging with key European and international customers.
Building on growing adoption in Europe and accelerating demand in key international markets, the company is advancing a strategy that combines geographic growth, deeper customer partnerships, and a significant new digital innovation designed to make ethylene application even simpler and more reliable.
“Fruit Logistica is always a valuable checkpoint for understanding where the ripening industry is heading, particularly in Europe,” said president and CEO Greg Akins. “This year’s event was fantastic. We joined our Dutch distributor, Fresh Produce Instruments, and welcomed many visitors to our stand, both current and prospective clients.
“Existing customers gave positive feedback, appreciating that we focus solely on ethylene application, unlike other vendors that sell multiple gases. As we begin 2026, we’re seeing clear momentum, not just in sales, but in how customers are rethinking about reliability, visibility, and control in their ripening operations. That aligns perfectly with where we’re investing as a company.”
Catalytic Generators finished 2025 with increasing global sales of its ethylene generators and Ethy-Gen® II concentrate, driven by expanding adoption in Europe and China, alongside continued growth in Latin America. The year marked a further shift from awareness-building to customer acceptance in Europe, as more ripeners evaluated and adopted Catalytic Generators’ alternative ethylene delivery method.
In Europe, the company secured regulatory approval for avocado ripening in the Netherlands and is advancing approvals for additional products in other member states. “Through distributor collaboration, on-site visits, and trade show engagement, we reinforced our core value proposition: a system designed to make ethylene application the easiest, safest, and most predictable part of the ripening process,” the company said.
According to Atkins, “once customers see how simple and dependable our system is in day-to-day use, the conversation quickly moves from ‘why change’ to ‘how fast can we implement’”.
As 2026 begins, Catalytic Generators’ growth strategy is focused on extending its global reach while strengthening performance in the world’s most demanding markets. Europe plays a central role in its approach, not only as a commercial opportunity, but also as a region where regulatory approvals of ethylene application are demanding and require significant time and investment.
The company is working with an EU task force to ensure that ethylene is reregistered as a legal and safe plant protection product while pursuing the necessary product approvals. It said its commitment to obtaining these approvals and establishing ethylene as an effective, safe solution demonstrates its dedication to safety, quality and operational discipline for ripening operators in Europe and around the world.
“Europe challenges suppliers to be better – more precise, more reliable and more committed,” Akins noted. “We chose to invest here because to be the best, you have to make challenging decisions.
“This demanding market requires significant effort and resources, and that investment demonstrates our commitment to prioritising reliability and operational integrity. It shows that we can meet the highest standards, which gives European ripeners and customers around the world confidence in our ability to be a proven, reliable and trusted ethylene partner.”
Looking ahead, Catalytic Generators’ 2026 roadmap centres on three priorities: continued geographic expansion, stronger presence in Europe and Latin America, and the introduction of digital control and remote monitoring capabilities for ethylene application systems.
In the fourth quarter of 2026, Catalytic Generators plans to introduce a new digital platform that wirelessly connects its ethylene generators to a secure cloud-based interface. Through a dedicated web portal, customers will be able to view generator status in real time, confirm when ethylene application starts and ends, or is interrupted, monitor Ethy-Gen II levels, and receive alerts if performance is affected, giving operators confidence that ethylene application is correctly occurring during the critical 24-hour application period. Generators can also be adjusted remotely and integrated with room control systems for optimised ethylene levels.
“This innovation gives ripeners peace of mind when it matters most,” Akins explained. “Ethylene already works quietly in the background. Digital visibility will take one step further by removing uncertainty and reinforcing our promise that ethylene should be the easiest part of ripening.”
According to Atkins, the company has spent more than 50 years simplifying ethylene. “In 2026, we’re building on that foundation by scaling globally, strengthening our European presence, and introducing smarter tools that help ripeners focus on what matters most: delivering consistently high-quality fruit,” he concluded.
