Bananas from Mexico trucked into Texas shortly after harvest

“Everything’s running as normal production,” said Phillip Cuccerre of Le Best Banana Supply Co. Though he admits that their could be concerns as the season heads into the cooler months in the tropics.

“Sometimes that makes production drop for February, but based on what we see in our numbers and what’s growing, everything should be in line with what we need to cover our contractual commitments for the US.” 

Bananas are grown in the Chiapas, Mexico. The Carmelita Brand have been recognized for their leadership in the Global Community for Best Farm Practices, Food Safety Standards and Corporate Responsibility for over 40 years. 

Right now it’s contract season and many individuals are bidding and asking for quotes at this time of year. “It’s very active, not only with our company but for the banana industry,” said Cuccerre. “A lot of retailers like looking at us because we’re a direct source: we own the farms, we own the land, the employees work for our company.” He adds that an additional benefit is cutting out middleman costs, which seems to be a trend retailers are gravitating towards in order to stay competitive. “It’s hard to raise the suggested retail price even though we’d like them to, but being a strong stable item like bananas that’s heavy volume the only way they could (reduce prices) is buying direct.” It also makes sense to offer something to a growing population, such as Hispanics, that would be accustomed to seeing the Carmelita brand in their home country. “It makes sense to put something in retail that they’re familiar seeing,” he said. 

Carmelita Bananas arrive some 7-10 days earlier than container ships which focus on extended green life bags, gases, etc. that only drive up cost and which we believes decrease taste. Carmelita simply looks at a natural approach. With our close proximity to the market, it enables our farms to harvest bananas at their peak maturity, while ensuring bananas arrive at the optimum freshness and taste.