Fair Trade bananas from Colombia enter U.S. market
Fair Trade bananas from Colombia enter U.S. market
OAKLAND, CA " Bananas, the most popular produce item in the United States, have a new player on the scene: Fair Trade-certified bananas from Uniban, a Colombia-based grower association.
The bananas are coming in through Turbana Corp., Uniban?s U.S. marketing arm based in Coral Gables, FL. The first shipments came in to the United States the week of Jan. 10.
Uniban attained Fair Trade certification through TransFair USA, a non-profit organization based here. TransFair is the only independent third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States.
Fair Trade certification is a business model that aligns the interests of growers, farmworkers, the industry and consumers. Fair Trade growers are guaranteed a minimum return designed to cover the cost of sustainable production and a decent standard of living for farmers and farmworkers.
Fair Trade certification includes offering a safe and healthy workplace, following international guidelines for use and handling of agro-chemicals, following strict environmental standards and meeting or exceeding minimum wages.
TransFair verifies that farmers who produced Fair Trade-certified products were paid a fair price. TransFair also inspects farms, audits trades and sets Fair Trade prices.
Though Fair Trade premium products have been around for several years, Fair Trade fruit launched in January 2004. Its fruit has been focused on bananas, mangos, pineapples and table grapes. Fair Trade bananas and pineapples are sold year round in the United States.
Up until the week of Jan. 10, Fair Trade bananas sold in the United States all were organic and came from Ecuador. Turbana is marketing both conventional and organic Fair Trade bananas. The organic Fair Trade bananas coming from Turbana are through a contract with a Fair Trade organic grower in Ecuador, said Juan Alarcon, Turbana?s chief executive officer.
Uniban is the largest exporter of bananas in Colombia and the fourth-largest exporter of bananas to North America. Mr. Alarcon said that Uniban?s goal is to ship 5 percent of its banana exports to the United States as Fair Trade-certified.
Lorenzo Cruz, a marketing and communications associate with TransFair, said that Fair Trade bananas are poised to enter the mass banana market. The first load of Uniban?s bananas arrived on the East Coast, destined for New England. Washington, DC, New York City, the Midwest and Upper Midwest all are targets of Turbana?s early shipments of bananas.
Hannah Freeman, produce accounts manager for TransFair, said that Uniban?s conventionally grown bananas will still meet Fair Trade?s "extremely stringent standards."
Through Uniban?s involvement in Fair Trade bananas, "hundreds of workers are benefiting," Ms. Freeman said, adding, "We?re expecting to double the volume in [Fair Trade] bananas in 2005 over 2004."
The addition of Uniban?s bananas will further boost Fair Trade?s visibility with consumers, Mr. Cruz said, citing a study that showed American consumer awareness of Fair Trade products doubled in 2004 to 14 percent from the previous year. However, coffee easily remains Fair Trade?s most popular item, he noted.
But all is not rosy for Fair Trade bananas, which face some significant hurdles in the U.S. market, Mr. Alarcon said.
By their nature, Fair Trade products sell at premium prices and many retailers are reluctant to carry organic Fair Trade bananas, he said. There is a certain link between buyers of organic produce " already accustomed to paying higher prices " and buyers of Fair Trade products.
Mr. Alarcon also pointed to the fact that Fair Trade bananas sold in the United States have yet to be granted their own PLU. Without that, it's hard for retailers to make distinctions between, for instance, a Fair Trade conventional banana and some other conventional banana, he said.
The bananas are coming in through Turbana Corp., Uniban?s U.S. marketing arm based in Coral Gables, FL. The first shipments came in to the United States the week of Jan. 10.
Uniban attained Fair Trade certification through TransFair USA, a non-profit organization based here. TransFair is the only independent third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States.
Fair Trade certification is a business model that aligns the interests of growers, farmworkers, the industry and consumers. Fair Trade growers are guaranteed a minimum return designed to cover the cost of sustainable production and a decent standard of living for farmers and farmworkers.
Fair Trade certification includes offering a safe and healthy workplace, following international guidelines for use and handling of agro-chemicals, following strict environmental standards and meeting or exceeding minimum wages.
TransFair verifies that farmers who produced Fair Trade-certified products were paid a fair price. TransFair also inspects farms, audits trades and sets Fair Trade prices.
Though Fair Trade premium products have been around for several years, Fair Trade fruit launched in January 2004. Its fruit has been focused on bananas, mangos, pineapples and table grapes. Fair Trade bananas and pineapples are sold year round in the United States.
Up until the week of Jan. 10, Fair Trade bananas sold in the United States all were organic and came from Ecuador. Turbana is marketing both conventional and organic Fair Trade bananas. The organic Fair Trade bananas coming from Turbana are through a contract with a Fair Trade organic grower in Ecuador, said Juan Alarcon, Turbana?s chief executive officer.
Uniban is the largest exporter of bananas in Colombia and the fourth-largest exporter of bananas to North America. Mr. Alarcon said that Uniban?s goal is to ship 5 percent of its banana exports to the United States as Fair Trade-certified.
Lorenzo Cruz, a marketing and communications associate with TransFair, said that Fair Trade bananas are poised to enter the mass banana market. The first load of Uniban?s bananas arrived on the East Coast, destined for New England. Washington, DC, New York City, the Midwest and Upper Midwest all are targets of Turbana?s early shipments of bananas.
Hannah Freeman, produce accounts manager for TransFair, said that Uniban?s conventionally grown bananas will still meet Fair Trade?s "extremely stringent standards."
Through Uniban?s involvement in Fair Trade bananas, "hundreds of workers are benefiting," Ms. Freeman said, adding, "We?re expecting to double the volume in [Fair Trade] bananas in 2005 over 2004."
The addition of Uniban?s bananas will further boost Fair Trade?s visibility with consumers, Mr. Cruz said, citing a study that showed American consumer awareness of Fair Trade products doubled in 2004 to 14 percent from the previous year. However, coffee easily remains Fair Trade?s most popular item, he noted.
But all is not rosy for Fair Trade bananas, which face some significant hurdles in the U.S. market, Mr. Alarcon said.
By their nature, Fair Trade products sell at premium prices and many retailers are reluctant to carry organic Fair Trade bananas, he said. There is a certain link between buyers of organic produce " already accustomed to paying higher prices " and buyers of Fair Trade products.
Mr. Alarcon also pointed to the fact that Fair Trade bananas sold in the United States have yet to be granted their own PLU. Without that, it's hard for retailers to make distinctions between, for instance, a Fair Trade conventional banana and some other conventional banana, he said.
