Banana marketers find plenty of reasons to believe in the future of organic bananas.
With 100% organic bananas, San Diego-based Organics Unlimited has 1,865 acres of land to grow its Organics Unlimited, GROW and Fair Trade certified bananas, with primary farming operations in the Colima, Mexico, growing region, said Mayra Velazquez de León, president and CEO.
In addition, she said Organics Unlimited also sources from a network of small family farmers in Mexico and Ecuador to provide organic bananas year-round for the U.S., Canada and Japan, among other markets.
Velazquez de León said that while COVID-19 is still in the picture, the real challenge ahead is to continue education to the consumers on the true, fair price of organic produce, the additional costs associated with ensuring pesticide-free food, and making sure organic growers are fairly compensated for the invaluable work that they do.
“By sharing the ‘true cost’ of food and educating consumers about what takes place prior to eating a banana, we feel energized about opportunities that exist in the year ahead,” she said.
Jamie Postell, director of sales for North America for Chiquita Brands LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said about 10% to 20% of Chiquita’s banana supply is organic.
“Chiquita expects the demand for organic will rise and is working to maximize the available production of organic bananas,” Postell said.
That means, he said, that in the right climatic zones, Chiquita will extend organic production by converting conventional land into organic land.
“It also means applying our farming expertise to organic agriculture, taking the skills, care and focus on quality from our conventional farms and making organic produce as available and affordable as we can,” Postell said.
Jennie Coleman, president of Equifruit Inc., Montreal, said about 95% of the company’s bananas are organic, and 100% are certified by Fairtrade International.
U.S. Organic Banana Imports
($1,000s)
2013 $258,769
2014 $122,642
2015 $198,353
2016 $209,772
2017 $232,266
2018 $310,076
2019 $269,255
2020 $314,688
Source: USDA
