Long Bean Farms, Inc.

What Long Bean Farms, Inc. does

Long Bean Farms, Inc. is a privately held, founder-led wholesale and retail produce distributor established in 1988 by Daren Chu and headquartered at 1800 S. Canal Street in Chicago's Chinatown district. The company specializes in fresh exotic and oriental fruits and vegetables sourced globally by chasing seasonal availability, and operates three product lines: fresh exotic fruits (including durian, lychee, longan, rambutan, dragon fruit, jujube, papaya, golden kiwi, and Shingo pear), oriental vegetables (such as bitter melon, baby napa, nagaimo, Chinese lo bok, watercress, and on choy), and a proprietary Waterlilies-branded dry tofu product line with SKUs 85001-85019. Long Bean Farms is the only distributor of fresh-never-frozen durian in the Midwest United States, with weekly air shipments direct from Thailand.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer retail model at its single Chicago facility, supplemented by a wholesale channel accessed through a customer application process, with stated operating hours six days per week. Go-to-market is conducted primarily through the company's Squarespace-hosted website (longbeanfarms.com), which functions as a product catalog and contact channel rather than a transactional e-commerce platform; no digital marketing channels, social media presence, or app-based ordering are documented. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and revenue mechanics consist of hardware/goods sales of fresh produce and shelf-stable tofu products.

The company carries no disclosed institutional investors, no parent or subsidiary entities, no patents, no formal partnerships, and no certifications or compliance credentials. The entire operation is owner-operated by Daren Chu, who personally conducts facility tours. The website content has not been visibly updated since 2016-2021, suggesting a static merchandising posture. Distribution is regionally bounded to the Midwest, with no disclosed plans for geographic expansion, and customer relationships appear to be predominantly walk-in retail and small-scale wholesale rather than enterprise-anchored.

Name

Long Bean Farms, Inc.

Legal name

Long Bean Farms, Inc.

Website

https://longbeanfarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Long Bean Farms is a Chicago-based, owner-operated wholesale distributor of fresh exotic oriental fruits, vegetables, and a proprietary Waterlilies-branded dry tofu line, serving Midwest consumers and small businesses since 1988.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Exotic Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fruit and Tree Nut Farming (1113)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Other Specialty & Industrial Crop Farming (Emerging/Regional Specialty Crops) (AFAGAGAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brassica & Cole Crop Farming (Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts) (AFAGADAB)

Keywords

• Exotic produce distribution
• Oriental vegetable wholesale
• Fresh fruit importer
• Dry tofu products
• Asian grocery wholesale

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: Retail and wholesale sales of fresh exotic/oriental fruits, vegetables, and dry tofu products directly to customers at their Chicago location and through established business relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Long Bean Farms, Inc. is a Chicago-based wholesale and retail produce distributor founded in 1988 that imports and sells fresh exotic and oriental fruits, vegetables, and dry tofu products. The company sources produce globally by chasing changing seasons, including weekly air-shipped fresh-never-frozen durian from Thailand, and serves the Midwest region through direct retail sales at its Chicago facility and established wholesale purchasing relationships.

Product overview

Long Bean Farms, Inc. is a produce wholesale and distribution company founded in 1988, serving the Midwest's demand for exotic/oriental fruits and vegetables. The company operates three main product lines: (1) Fresh exotic fruits including Durian, Longan, Rambutan, Lychee, Dragon Fruit, Jujube, Shingo Pear, Papaya, Golden Kiwi, and W. Murcott Mandarin; (2) Oriental vegetables such as Green Onion, Baby Napa, Bitter Melon, Nagaimo, Chinese Lo Bok, Watercress, and various specialty greens; and (3) A proprietary Waterlilies Tofu line featuring dry tofu products under brand codes 85001-85019, including Spiced Dry Tofu, Fried Bean Curd, Su Chee, Wheat Gluten Rolls, and Specialty Tofu. Located in Chicago's Chinatown district, the company imports produce from around the world and is notably the only distributor of fresh-never-frozen durian in the Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Waterlilies Tofu: Dry tofu and tofu-based products sold under the Waterlilies brand.

Products and services

• Fresh Durian Fresh-never-frozen Durian (Durio zibethinus L.), Monthong variety, available in 12 kg and 15 kg boxes. Air-shipped weekly from Thailand. Long Bean Farms is the only distributor of fresh-never-frozen durian in the Midwest United States.
• Fresh Lychee Fresh Lychee (Litchi chinensis), size 1-1.5 inches, sold in approximately 20 lb boxes or 13 lb crates. Available late spring to early summer (May-June).
• Fresh Longan Fresh Longan fruit (Dimocarpus longan) sold in approximately 20 lb boxes. Features thin peelable yellow skin with translucent white aril and intense sweet flavor.
• Fresh Rambutan Fresh Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), size 2-2.5 inches, sold in approximately 5 lb boxes. Bright red skin with soft spines and translucent white to pink aril.
• Fresh Dragon Fruit Fresh Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus and Hylocereus costaricensis), size 4-6 inches. Contains Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Carotene, and Protein.
• Pinkglow Pineapple Specialty Pinkglow Pineapple variety featured on the company's homepage as a signature product.
• Waterlies Dry Tofu Product Line Proprietary Waterlilies-branded line of dry tofu products including Shredded White Tofu (85019, 8 oz x 30 packs), Jumbo Thick Five-Spice Dry Tofu (85018, 21 oz x 30 packs), Special Tofu (85017, 11 oz x 32 packs), Spicy Tofu (85011), Wheat Gluten Rolls (85009, 1 lb x 40 packs), Spiced Small Dry Tofu (85001), Spiced Large Dry Tofu (85002), Fried Bean Curd (85003), Spiced Thin Tofu (85004), Su Chee (85005), and Spicy Dry Tofu (85006). Sold under the Waterlilies brand for retail and wholesale customers.
• Oriental Vegetables Selection of fresh oriental and Asian specialty vegetables including Green Onion, Small Tong Ho, Baby Napa cabbage, Watercress, Chinese Lo Bok (daikon radish), Shanghai Sum, Fuzzy Squash, O-Po, Bitter Melon, Nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam), Nai Yu Miu, and On Choy (water spinach). Sourced globally to match changing seasons.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Emerging players

• Weee!: Online Asian grocery delivery platform expanding across the US. Targets the same ethnic-consumer demand for exotic produce and tofu via a digital-first, delivery-led model.

Broad incumbents

• H Mart: Large Asian-American grocery chain operating across the US. Overlaps on Asian fresh produce and tofu, but competes as a broad multi-category retailer rather than a specialized distributor.
• 99 Ranch Market: Asian-American supermarket chain carrying fresh oriental produce, tofu, and specialty goods. Comparable on category overlap but competes at scale across multiple stores and regions.

Others

• House Foods America: Major tofu and Asian-food manufacturer with US operations. Not a direct competitor on distribution but relevant as a tofu-industry incumbent sharing the same downstream customer base.
• Morinaga Nutritional Foods: Tofu and soy-product manufacturer serving US retail and foodservice. Comparable on tofu-product category but operates as a manufacturer rather than a distributor.

Direct peers

• Frieda's Specialty Produce: Long-established US specialty and exotic produce distributor supplying retailers and foodservice with hard-to-find fruits and vegetables. Closest direct comparable to Long Bean Farms' specialty oriental/exotic distribution model.
• Worldwide Produce: Specialty produce distributor serving foodservice and retail with exotic and seasonal items. Comparable in product breadth, customer mix (restaurants/retailers), and curated catalog approach.
• Wing Woong: Asian produce and specialty grocery wholesaler serving restaurants and retailers on the US East Coast. Closely comparable business model — curated imported produce distribution to ethnic and foodservice buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/longbeanfarms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Long Bean Farms, Inc.