It has been 10 years since the French banana was sold in its blue, white, and red packaging. Over the years, it has won over the hearts of the French and continues to grow, even in a complicated economic climate. In the space of a decade, the French banana has established itself as an original brand. It is a story built on strategy and resilience, with more exciting projects still to come.
© Marine Inghirami-Benaroch | FreshPlaza.com
Banana consumption continues to grow
"Ten years ago, when bananas were mainly sold by the kilo, in bulk or in plastic bags, we decided to innovate and sell by the unit of consumption. As a result, the vast majority of products we sell today are wrapped bananas and loose bananas. Market reaction has been very positive, especially for French bananas. The French origin has a real power of attraction. It reassures, inspires confidence, and meets a certain recognition. The Banana of Guadeloupe and Martinique was voted France's favorite brand in 2024. We are now fully committed to being a brand of origin," explains Amaury Maldjian, ripening operations director at Solveg Group.
While bananas from Guadeloupe and Martinique clearly meet a consumer need for a product grown in accordance with French standards, they also benefit from the general increase in banana consumption. "Banana consumption has been growing by an average of 5% a year for the last 3-4 years. We could pass the 845,000-ton mark in banana consumption in France by 2025, while we were at 750,000 tons in 2023." Despite disruptions to logistics and production, it is undeniable that the French market is growing, but this is also contradictory. "The French banana market is growing, but so is the premium banana market. Only bulk bananas seem to be struggling due to the wide range of wrapped bananas on the shelves (1st price, premium, organic)."
Consumption is increasing, but habits are changing too. "Consumption is now spread out more evenly throughout the year. Last summer, the bad weather acted as a real catalyst for banana consumption. We had never sold so many bananas in mainland France during the summer season. This year, despite the 40-degree heat spikes, sales remained good. Five years ago, we were struggling to sell bananas in July and August because of very high stocks in Dunkirk. Although not all our boats are scheduled for July/August, as is the case for the other 10 months of the year, consumption is much more dynamic in the summer period than it used to be."
Increasing the capacity of the Dunkirk facilities
Faced with this increase in demand for French bananas, the Dunkirk site has reached the saturation point. Its capacity will be increased this year to meet the demand. "In 2024, we produced 40,000 tons of French bananas, and we plan to reach 42,000 tons in 2025. The aim is to exceed 50,000 tons by 2026. To achieve this, we will add two packaging lines in Dunkirk with a capacity of 15,000 additional packages per week. We currently pack 60,000 parcels a week, and we aim to reach 75,000 parcels by 2026. These investments will bring the team to 280 full-time employees at the French-speaking site." The realization of this project already seems assured, since the expansion is designed to meet already existing demand.
© UGPBAN
Creating added value rather than chasing volumes
This success story is all the more remarkable because the road to this success has not been a smooth one. "Ten years ago, we were producing 250,000 tons of bananas from Guadeloupe and Martinique, compared to 195,000 tons today. Production has been greatly affected by climatic phenomena such as hurricanes. The gradual elimination of plant protection products authorized under French legislation has also resulted in a reduction of yields per hectare. Ten years ago, French bananas were also much more dominant on the French market, which was less segmented and much less developed."
Today, we have managed to stabilize production despite all the challenges it faces. In compliance with French and European standards and climatic impacts, we do not participate in a race for volumes that we could not win. We are now focused on creating added value and recognition. Confining French bananas to this quality niche guaranteed by the French origin label is a lifeline for the sector. Faced with rising production costs and falling yields due to increasingly restrictive plant health legislation, bananas from Guadeloupe and Martinique are not fighting with the same weapons as other bananas on the international market. However, French bananas meet a real need and provide real added value for consumers looking for the guarantee offered by the French origin in terms of transparency of production, traceability, food sovereignty, and social impact, with jobs maintained in the West Indies and mainland France."
"We fully understand that consumers are turning to other segments of the banana market (first-price, organic, imported), and we are very proud that French bananas are also among their choices. We will continue to promote French bananas and their history, no matter what."
Conquering convenience stores
To continue its expansion, the French banana is now looking to conquer the urban convenience market. "This is the project we are currently working on. At the moment, we have a strong presence in supermarkets, but very little in convenience stores. However, sales from convenience stores account for 10% of the market share. We aim to capture the interest of this urban population, so we are looking at the possibility of offering our bananas in a smaller format. We know that our French bananas have everything it takes to win over urban consumers. It is now up to us to find the best way to do it."