Watch out for One Banana’s conventional and organic bananas at this year’s Viva Fresh Expo. One Banana is a unique family owned company with a business culture based on ethical principles that started over 40 years ago. “Each year we dedicate ourselves to measuring and achieving goals in productivity a well as social and environmental sustainability,” said Robert Adams of One Bananas. “At One Banana, we truly care about the living conditions of our workers, their families and the communities where we operate.”
85 percent penetration
Bananas are widely consumed in the US, with over 85 percent household penetration, according to Adams. “Almost everyone buys bananas. We pack the highest quality fruit under brand names that everyone knows and loves, and recently we have also been selling directly to retailers in the US and internationally under our own brand name; One Banana. We believe that One Banana Makes a Difference.”
One Banana also donates bananas to schools in Guatemala to improve nutrition and educational performance. During the last three years more than 11,000 children have benefitted from this program. “We firmly believe that there can be no sustainable growth without rigorous care for the environment, which is why we make great efforts to preserve it through our initiatives on recycling, nature conservancy, encouragement of biodiversity and water efficiency,” he said. “We have reduced water use by approximately 30 per cent through techniques such as TDR, microaspersion and probes for measuring soil moisture.” All of their farms are certified by the Rainforest Alliance, as well as SCS, Global Gap, and BASC. “Sustainability has always been a central part of our DNA at One Banana.”
Human Development Center
To go beyond just complying with local and international labor laws and standards, Adams says they’ve developed a CSR program that includes social projects for their workers, families and communities and are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the UN. One Banana, in partnership with the University of Colorado, opened the Human Development Center in rural Guatemala in 2014 to support workers and nearby communities and now serves over 5,000 people in need annually. “The HDC includes a private school, health clinic, laboratory, pharmacy, a birthing center, social programs for mothers and children as well as research studies to understand and improve local conditions,” said Adams. One Banana also offers a Savings and Loan Co-op in rural Guatemala called Mi Gente; more than 73 per cent of its employees take part.
Visit One Banana at Booth #224 at the Viva Fresh Expo.
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Robert Adams
One Banana