2022 Packer 25 — Kim Chackal
The 2022 Packer 25 is our annual tribute to 25 leaders, innovators and agents of change across the fresh produce supply chain. Each year, The Packer invites the produce industry to nominate distinguished veterans, leaders and rising stars of the fresh produce industry. As always, our editorial team was energized and awed by the talented pool of nominees this year. Now in its 18th year, The Packer is once again spotlighting 25 dynamic and inspiring people who are moving the produce industry forward.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Kim Chackal, director of sales and marketing, Equifruit, Montreal, Canada
Have you found your bliss with bananas? What do you find most satisfying about a career in the fresh produce industry?
I wouldn’t say I’ve found my bliss with bananas as a product per se. Don’t get me wrong, they’re delicious and convenient and make my heart glow when they’re that perfect yellow. I’ve found my bliss, however, in getting buyers and consumers to join Equifruit in our quest to achieve global fairtrade banana domination. Because knowing that you’re making the world a better place and standing up to corrupt economic systems feels spectacular. How’s that for career satisfaction?
What does it mean to you to be a #BananaBadass and part of the most “extra” Fairtrade banana brand?
Being a #bananabadass means that I get to channel all of my creative energy, wit and compassion into building a global brand that’s a force for good. I want to challenge the entire banana industry to improve; to finally pay farmers a sustainable and stable price for their fruit and to give back to support economic, social and environmental development. This requires fearlessness, dedication and keeping my chin above 45 degrees.
Being the most ‘extra’ fairtrade banana brand means that Equifruit will stop at nothing to grab your attention. Dancing on TikTok? Check. Designing our website to feel like a video game? Check. Installing a 6-footshark at our trade show booth? Check. Writing, ‘The only banana you should buy’ on our boxes? Check.
We’ve thrown all industry conventions out the window and we want to win shoppers over with our refreshing take on branding a pure commodity. It can be done, and I think we’re crushing it.
Equifruit is such a cool, irreverent (in the best possible way) brand. How have you influenced the direction of the brand? In what ways have you left your stamp on Equifruit?
I’ve influenced the brand by challenging us to plan out how we will remain unique even as the market becomes more crowded with bananas that bear sustainability claims or even the same fair trade certification. We want Equifruit to be your most beloved banana brand; a brand that you’re eager to follow on social.
From a very young age I was fascinated with advertising. I used to watch those playbacks of the best Super Bowl commercials and marvel at how combining the right images, music and words could convince you to try something new in as little as 15 seconds. Equifruit doesn’t get 15 seconds in the produce aisle. We’re lucky if we get two and so I’ve obsessed over how we make those one to two seconds count. How can we stop a shopper in their tracks and invite them to consider a new banana brand that costs more money for the right reasons?
Equifruit has been 100% fairtrade-certified since day one. I always knew this was our greatest value add and a feature that could never be matched by any of the big banana brands. In our early years, we leaned heavily on the certification as a differentiator, but as the market is shifting and the big brands are now sourcing a fraction of their bananas on the same terms, we [have] leaned more into our packaging, website and social media strategy as a major differentiator. We are unapologetically loud and bold because that’s what you need to do when you are shaking a consumer out of a task that’s done on autopilot. Our cases are adorned in color and our banded fruit has silly messages like: The only banana to binge watch. We’re desperate for attention because we’re desperate to change the banana industry and we want to educate consumers in a way that doesn’t feel preachy. This isn’t about making people feel bad, it’s about inviting them to do the right thing and support a brand that’s challenging the norm. At the end of the day, it costs them about $10 more per year, so why not?
What’s the best piece of career advice you ever received?
Warren Buffet once said: ‘You can always tell someone to go to hell tomorrow.’ This may be unconventional career advice, but in an emotionally charged industry such as produce, you need to remain cool as a cucumber. These words have cultivated emotional discipline and helped me navigate tough times when I’ve been subject to less friendly folks. I truly believe that we need to treat people the way we would want to be treated and that kindness goes a long way in business.
The world has been through a great deal in the last several years. What are you most looking forward to in 2023?
Amen to that. Equifruit is always looking forward. Even through the pandemic, we rallied together and squinted to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Over the past three years, we’ve managed to execute a legendary rebrand, grown sales by 139%, doubled our team and have positioned ourselves to expand into the U.S. market. I’d say our optimism is paying off and thankfully the market has shifted in our favor. Younger consumers especially are dying to support a brand like Equifruit — a women-owned business with a bunch of #BananaBadasses who aren’t afraid to say it like it is: #FarmersGottaGetPaid. #micdrop.
