A lot of bananas are sold at the lowest possible price, yet more and more bananas are also arriving in supermarkets with a quality mark: organic, rainforest friendly or fairtrade. For some years, however, there’s been a banana on the market that meets all of these qualifications: the Uurú banana. It was recently spotted in the Marqt supermarket in the Netherlands, where it’s praised as an extra flavourful, sweet and aromatic banana.
Supermarkets can’t sell the uncompromising and delicious Uurú banana at record low prices, only selected retailers can put this banana on their shelves. “Our biggest buyer is a Danish supermarket chain,” says Hans-Peter Weichert of Inter Weichert, which exclusively markets the banana. “Nearly the entire production of 3,000 to 4,000 boxes is sold there, but we’re naturally hoping to grow in this.”
The Uurú banana was discovered and cultivated by agrarian scientists in Ecuador. From a botanical angle, the Uurú belongs to the Cavendish family, while flavour and texture are more reminiscent of the old Gros Michel banana variety.
The Uurú banana looks different as well. “In an unripe state it’s dark-green, and after ripening the colour is deep, bright yellow. However, the banana can already be eaten when the peel is still primarily green. The challenge is communicating this special function to consumers,” Hans-Peter concludes.