ORLANDO, Fla. — Five consecutive years on a major national growth ranking is a statement in any industry. In the razor-thin, price-sensitive world of produce, it is practically a revolution.
Montreal-based Equifruit, North America’s market leader in Fairtrade International-certified bananas, has once again cracked The Globe and Mail’s ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies, placing No. 230 in the Consumer category, achieving an impressive 117% three-year revenue growth rate. Proving that ethical sourcing is far from a boutique endeavor, Equifruit’s multiyear streak demonstrates that doing right by banana farmers is a powerful business model.
The Packer recently connected with Equifruit President and co-owner Jennie Coleman on what it takes to scale an ethical brand across North America without compromising core values — or losing sight of her ultimate goal: “Global Fairtrade Banana Domination.”
Redefining the Produce Aisle
Historically, ethical sourcing models were often framed as a niche alternative reserved for specialized health food stores. But Equifruit’s five-year streak on a mainstream financial listing flips that narrative on its head.
“It’s pretty exciting to be the only produce brand on the listing, let alone one based on an ethical sourcing model,” says Coleman. “I think the whole sector should be pumped about the fact that sustainably sourced products have a robust and growing market. It’s not just my mum buying our fruit!”
Crucial to that commercial success is an intentional approach to retail partnerships. Equifruit says it works directly with produce teams at every level to build a program that delivers value across the entire supply chain.
“The key to our success is commitment to our mission,” says Coleman. “At Equifruit, we want a retailer’s Fairtrade banana program to be win-win-win: a win for them, a win for growers and farmworkers and a win for their customers, who can feel good about their favorite fruit.”
That hands-on strategy means going far beyond basic distribution logistics.
“We don’t just drop containers at their DC and wish them well,” says Coleman. “We invest heavily in education so that everyone at the retailer, from the management team down to produce clerks, knows what Fairtrade is all about and who Equifruit is. We invest heavily in marketing, both digitally and at point of sale; we want to make people pause as they’re buying their bananas and get on board with our product. And finally, we invest heavily in the ongoing, day-to-day of excellent quality and responsiveness. The better the program goes, the more we sell and [have] the most impact to growers.”
Scaling Operational Excellence Without Sacrificing Values
Sustaining triple-digit growth over several consecutive years introduces intense operational complexity, especially in a fresh produce supply chain. To handle that expansion without sacrificing its strict wage commitments, Equifruit built a network of logistics partners who buy into its core principles — guided by an explicit filter.
“We have been very strategic about building an operational framework in which we can grow, whether these are relationships with shipping companies, warehouses, distributors [or] ripeners,” Coleman says. “We understand that quality and fulfillment are important to our customers, so these very commercial matters are at the heart of this work, but we also have a ‘don’t work with jerks’ policy: We look for people who also share our values and are motivated to partner with us on change in the banana industry.”
That commitment to core values resonates just as strongly with international smallholder farmers seeking long-term stability in a volatile market.
“There is a line-up of growers hoping to work with Equifruit,” she says. “If you are a banana grower and have spent a lifetime in unstable, precarious trading relationships, but you see the option of entering into a long-term contract directly with a buyer who has made a public commitment to respect the Fairtrade minimum price on bananas, wouldn’t you put your name on the list? We are constantly meeting these potential future growers so that when a new contract comes in, we’re ready to hit go.”
Living the Values — Inside and Out
For Coleman, maintaining consistency across internal teams and external partnerships has been essential to building a cohesive, resilient company culture during rapid growth.
The president and co-owner recalls a new Equifruit team member who said, after a few months on the job, “‘Wow, you really live your values, not just in the interview.’ It’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me,” Coleman says. “I think one of our strengths is the consistency of our values, and that we make them a throughline in all we do. We don’t play games, we don’t change our stripes and we look for people who will operate in this same way.”
Looking Ahead: Long-Term Category Disruption
With five years of sustained recognition serving as a springboard, Equifruit has no intention of slowing down its momentum. Instead, the company views its growth as fuel for lasting structural change across the North American produce industry.
“We won’t stop until Fairtrade becomes the basis for responsible banana procurement across North America. And even then, we won’t stop,” says Coleman. “We’ll keep selling Equifruit-branded fruit as synonymous with ethical sourcing, sustainable production and grower impact. Equifruit is not a ‘project’; we’re in it for the long-term to have a material impact on the way bananas are bought and sold on this continent. Global Fairtrade Banana Domination, here we come.”
