Small Farmers. Big Change.

Once upon a time there was a very sad banana.   

“Why was he so sad,“ you might ask.

Well maybe, it’s because although many people appreciated him for his golden yellow color and his sweet, yummy flavor, they never took the time to get to know him. Really get to know him, that is. Don’t get me wrong; he was flattered when people walked down the aisles of the supermarket and they remarked on his looks, made comments about his flavor, and how good he would taste in their morning cereal. It’s not that he didn’t like hearing these compliments and all. But, he couldn’t help thinking that the chatter was, well, you know, kind of superficial. I mean there was A LOT more to the banana than just what met the eye.

So even though a lot of attention was focused on the banana, he was actually quite lonely. Rarely did anyone stop and try to get to know him. Really, get to know him that is. Like where did he come from anyway? How was he raised and by whom? What was it like on the farm where he grew up? Was it a huge plantation with acres of banana plants or a small, shaded plot with lots of diversity? Nobody stopped to ask him what the conditions were like on his farm.  Was there running water? Electricity? Did they use chemicals to make him grow bigger or was he raised naturally?

There was so much more to know about the banana besides his size, shape, and color. I mean, how did he end up in the grocery store so many thousands of miles away from home? Who brought him there and why? And what was in it for the people who sent him up north? “They just don’t care,“ he thought despondently. “No one understands me. Why don’t they try? Get to know the real banana?” There was no doubt about it: the banana was becoming downright depressed.

But one day, in a food co-operative in the mid-west, something happened.

It started off kind of slowly, but soon there could be no denying it. Something was changing. Consumers began asking questions. They woke up. Really woke up. One day, some shoppers began asking about the people that lived on his farm; who were they and what were their lives like? Increasingly curious, they actually started to ask the NAMES of the farmers!

Once the people learned the farmers’ names… well, then they wanted to know even more. Like who were these folks who had transported him to the grocery store? Were they nice people? Were they interested in him and in the welfare of the farmers back home? Did they pay those farmers a fair price and treat them with respect?

Oh, there was so much to the banana’s story.

The banana was used to getting lots of attention; he was after all, the most popular fruit in the store. But now, things were changing. People started to see his many facets. It was no longer just about his skin color and his attractive shape. They saw that he had depth. I mean, he was sort of a complex dude when you got right down to it.

The word spread and before long, a new movement began taking shape. Forward thinking shoppers realized that not all bananas were alike. Each banana had a unique story. And then they realized that it wasn’t even that the story of one individual banana was so important. No, to really understand the banana, you had to analyze the social-political-economic system in which he or she was raised. Those things actually made a huge difference, you see.

In fact, the more the consumers learned about the banana and the farmers who raised him, the more they saw how they themselves played a role in the banana’s story. If not all bananas were treated equally (or fairly for that matter), then the consumer could influence the story simply by asking the right questions. Armed with information, choices could be made. Amazing how beautifully simple it could be. Consumers had power; they could affect change. They just had to care. And, then take action. Stand up for what was right.

The story of this banana is now almost over. (Although no one can say how the bigger story ends.)

The consumers kept asking questions and they grew more and more knowledgeable. But then, as sometimes happens: the more they learned, the more upset they became. There was no going back to the days when they walked the supermarket aisles and could blindly ignore the truth. They got angry. They hadn’t realized, or fully understood, or maybe just hadn’t wanted to see. The companies that had been raising all the bananas; picking them, packing them in boxes, and sending them in refrigerated containers across the ocean to stores in the North; had such a tight, powerful control over every aspect in the banana’s world. His farm, the farmers, the shipping lines, the distribution centers, even the price the banana sold for in the store; all that was controlled by five large companies.

So when the consumers realized this, they grew very angry. They were outraged about the tremendous exploitation that had been going on for decades in the bananas’ homelands and on their farms. In fact, it had been happening all this time, right under their noses. But worse yet, it seemed like there was nothing that they could do about it. I mean, if you liked bananas, what choice did you have? Even in the most progressive food co-ops, there was generally only one brand of banana available.

And here’s where today’s story comes to an end.

One day, consumers began to have a choice!

A newly branded banana appeared on the scene. It came exclusively from small farmers who were organized in a co-operative where they had decision-making power over how their business was run and how the land was stewarded. No pesticides were used to grow these bananas. And this new company (well, it was actually a co-operative as well) who sent the bananas to the stores up North took such good care of them, and paid the farmers so fairly; they even respected the consumers so much that they provided them with information about the bananas and the farmers.

And so it was that the bananas, the farmers, and those who eventually enjoyed their sweetness, were all healthier and happier.  And really, ever since then, the banana’s mood changed dramatically. I suppose you could say that they all lived happily ever after.

Click here to learn more about Equal Exchange bananas and our farmer partners.  Click here to learn more about the Principle Six Co-operative Trade Movement.

Credits:

(In order of appearance)

Sad banana:  Lukas Mills, Designer (and aspiring Fruit Model), Spunk Design Machine

Food co-operative in the midwest:  Linda Cowden, Produce Manager, The Merc Co-op, Lawrence, Kansas

Another co-operative:  Jean Mackenzie, Weaver’s Way, Philadelphia, PA and Jessica Jones-Hughes, Oke USA

Banana display:  Keweenaw Co-op, Hancock, Michigan

Equal Exchange Bananas:  Valley Natural Foods, Burnsville, Minnesota

In the warehouse:  The Oke USA/Equal Exchange Banana Team; Nicole Vitello, Bradley Russell, Jessica Jones-Hughes

Happy Bananas:  Lukas Mills, Spunk Design Machine

Equal Exchange would also like to thank all of the pioneering food co-operatives, natural food stores, and consumers who are helping us to transform the banana industry.  Adelante!