Ecke Makes Some Changes

The Paul Ecke Ranch has announced it is making a change to its authorized distributor list in order to build relationships with wholesale broker organizations that offer grower solutions and full service representation with Ecke product. Effective Feb. 13, 2005 Syngenta will no longer be an authorized Paul Ecke Ranch distributor. This includes access to all un-rooted and rooted cuttings from Ecke Ranch locations in California and Guatemala. Syngenta, who distributed only poinsettias for Ecke, will continue to have access to Ecke genetics sold from Ecke Root n Sell and Propagator Distributor growers.

This distributor change will not affect any orders for poinsettias that have been placed or are to be placed prior to Feb. 12, 2005. “Syngenta can place orders until Feb. 12, 2005, and all orders in by that time will be shipped no matter if the ship date is before or after that time,” said Lelion Elledge, vice president of sales and marketing at Ecke. For orders placed after Feb. 12, 2005, grower customers have been notified of the changes, and existing orders will be transferred to the distributor broker of choice of the grower.

Other Ecke News

According to an Ecke Ranch press release, to avoid marketplace confusion with Fischer USA, the Ecke Ranch will drop a number of Fischer annual varieties next season. Ecke Ranch will continue to sell all catalog items throughout the remainder of the 2004/2005 selling season. However, the following changes will take place May 31, 2005.

Dropped from the Ecke Annual Program in 2006, but will be available from Fischer USA

• Angelonia Carita”š series
• Verbena Lanai”š Rapunzel and Escapade”š series
• New Guinea Sonic”š Super Sonic and Vision”š Series

“The Ecke family has a long and valued relationship with the Fischer companies,” said Paul Ecke III, CEO of Ecke Ranch. “I see these changes as simplifying the selection process for growers.”