Our Passion For Fruit - Bananas

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Bananas

Great tasting and healthy, bananas are one of the world's favorite fruits. But do you know how they get from farms thousands of miles away to arrive - perfectly ripe - in your local supermarket? Join us on a voyage of discovery

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Did you know

Not only is the banana fruit a berry, but the banana plant is also a herb!

Discover

Did you know

You can polish your shoes with the inside of a banana skin (might smell a bit though ...)

Great tasting and healthy, most of us love bananas. So, does it matter how we get them? Of course it does! Just take a few moments to explore their incredible journey from farm to store and let’s see if we can surprise you.

The Banana Journey

Every choice we make in getting our bananas from the farm to you has potential consequences – for the communities who grow them, for the quality of the fruit and ultimately for the wider environment. We know you get that. It’s why we think everyone should care about where their bananas have come from.

You probably know that bananas are grown in sunny, tropical areas and most of ours come from Central and South America where they have been growing fabulous bananas for decades. The banana story – from growing the best bananas in a sustainable way, then harvesting, shipping and ripening them to meet the specific needs of the people who eat them and the retailers who sell them – is pretty amazing. So, strap yourself in and here goes…

How do bananas get to North America?

In total comfort – we treat our bananas like a baby! We use ships with state of the art containers that keep the fruit in a form of hibernation at a constant temperature of 56.3°F; just cool enough to slow down the ripening process but not so cold that the bananas catch a chill. In this controled atmosphere the bananas will remain in perfect condition. The journey takes about 6 days.

See how the bananas are grown
and prepared for transport

See how the bananas are
transported and ripened

To follow the journey in more detail, click here »

Our banana varieties

What color is yours - yellow, green, red or ……. black?

Be honest. We bet some of you probably thought that all bananas were pretty much the same? Oh no they’re not! There are more than 500 (some say 800) different varieties of banana – in all sorts of shapes, sizes and even colors! At Fyffes we’re really into bananas, but even we think that’s amazing. Just imagine all the new tastes, flavors and textures that hundreds of different varieties offer? It’s simply mouth-wateringly incredible.

Here at Fyffes we’d love you to discover more of these great new taste experiences for yourselves. But, you need to be patient. Sadly we don’t have a ‘banana factory’ that makes them to order, we have to grow them. It can take years to build up a consistent supply that meets our standards. We need to work with our partner famers to make the changes on their farms and we wouldn’t do this lightly – its people’s livelihoods. But, our dream is to have as many banana varieties in your local stores as there are apples…..

Bananas can be broadly divided into 2 groups, the Cavendish (or sweet) banana and the exotic varieties.

Cavendish Bananas

The most common banana is the Cavendish - the one we all know and love to eat fresh or in smoothies, yogurts and cakes. When yellow with green tips, it has a lovely, balanced sweetness and texture. When very ripe (and very sweet) the yellow skin will be dotted with brown spots – this is the natural sugars bursting out!

But there are many other varieties too.

Baby Bananas

The baby banana may be small, but it packs a lot of sweetness in its thin, bright peels. Store them at room temperature when you take them home, but once they are soft to the touch and their skin has brown spots, they’re at their sweetest and ready for your family to enjoy. Since a baby banana only measure up to 1/3 the size of a regular banana, they’re perfect for the kids! These little guys can be eaten alone or used in smoothies, baby food, cakes, and other desserts that need a little extra sweetness.

Manzano Bananas

What do you do if you want to keep the doctor away but you don’t like apples? A manzano banana has all of the sweetness of a regular banana with a hint of apple flavor. And because it’s a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, it could give apples a run for their money! Be sure to keep it at room temperature until it’s very soft to the touch and has lots of brown sugar spots (otherwise it will taste starchy). Eat it alone, use it in salty meals, or add it to desserts to keep the doctor away.

Red Bananas

Imagine if you could have a raspberry-banana smoothie without all of the work. That is what eating a red banana is like! Red bananas are short, soft, and sweet, with a hint of raspberry flavor. A red banana is similar to other bananas except that its pinkish colored fruit is packed with extra vitamin C and beta-carotene, which converts into the essential nutrient, vitamin A. This fruit can be eaten raw, used in desserts, or cooked into semi-savory dishes. You can take them home when they’re red, but let them ripened at room temperature until they are soft to the touch and have a maroon or purple/brown skin before enjoying!

Click here to find out more

Why are bananas good for us?

We know we’re biased, but we like to think of bananas as a super food. Bananas are natural, healthy, packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals, good for hydration (they’re 70% water), and they’re a great source of slow release energy to fuel you through the day. At only 25 cal per oz they are a perfect snack for those watching the calories and they even help your body produce serotonin - which can help you feel happy, calm and relaxed. So, there’s a banana for every occasion!

Did you know?

Bananas grow on trees, right?

In fact, the banana plant or Musa Sapientum ("fruit of the wise men") is the largest plant in the world without a wooden trunk! It is a perennial herb in the same family as lillies, orchids and palms and the stem is actually made up of leaves wrapped around one another. There are more than 500 varieties, some growing to more than 30 feet high.

The variety we see most often in North America is the Cavendish
The banana is curved because it grows upwards toward the sun
The word banana comes from the Arabic word "Banan" which means finger
Bananas taste best when harvested green and allowed to ripen off the plant
Bananas are grown all year round and are harvested every day of the year
The banana flower is holy for some Indian people and it is often worn during religious ceremonies as a lucky charm on the head

Bananas

Bananas

Did you know

Did you know

The Banana Journey

How to grow the best bananas?

How are bananas harvested?

How do bananas get to North America?

How are bananas ripened?

See how the bananas are grownand prepared for transport

See how the bananas aretransported and ripened

To follow the journey in more detail, click here »

Our banana varieties

Cavendish Bananas

Baby Bananas

Manzano Bananas

Red Bananas

Click here to find out more

Why are bananas good for us?

Did you know?

Did you know?

See how the bananas are grown
and prepared for transport

See how the bananas are
transported and ripened