P.O.Box 4442-1000
San José, Costa Rica
Tel. +506 2713-0000
151 Ellis St NE
Floor 1, Suite 133
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone +1 404 995-1230
Unique in the industry, EARTH’s banana plantation is divided into several blocks, each with miles of forest in between. This protects biodiversity and lowers the presence of pathogens and pests, thereby reducing the need for chemical applications.
Bananas don’t grow from a seed. The banana plant is a large perennial herb. Today it is reproduced through tissue culture because it does not produce viable seeds. Using tissue cultured plants also helps to eliminate the possibility of introducing pests or disease into a new plantation. When the plant has grown out about 5 leaves and is 25 centimeters tall it is planted in rows in the field. During this time the plant needs lots of sun and water to grow to full size and produce its first flower which develops into a bunch of bananas.
On our plantation no herbicides are used. During planting we apply organic compost made here at EARTH. This compost is made using banana stalks and rejected bananas from our banana packing plant. In this mixture efficient microorganisms are also applied to accelerate the decomposition process, minimize disease and the presence of harmful nematodes (microscopic worms).
The banana plant grows and in approximately six months forms its first flower. In three more months the banana bunch will be fully developed and ready to harvest.
Twelve weeks after flowering the bananas are ready for harvest. Bananas are cut while still green. Meanwhile, a new shoot has started growing and this new plant will produce a bunch that will be harvested in eight months.
Each bunch is harvested from the banana plant by two workers. The plant is pulled down allowing one worker to support the bunch while the other cuts the stem from the plant. The worker then walks about 50 meters to the monorail and hooks the bunch onto the rail. When 100 bunches have been harvested, a banana train brings the bunches to the packing plant.
At the packing plant the plastic bag is removed. The bags are recycled to make corner supports to secure the pallets once the bananas are packed into boxes.
At the plant, bananas are pressure washed and bunches are cut off the stem. They are cut into smaller bunches and sent for a swim in a wash tub.
When they are completely clean, they are sorted by size and quality. Stickers are placed on each bunch of bananas, a worker applies an organic fungicide developed here at EARTH to the crown of each bunch,and finally they are packed in boxes of approximately 40 pounds. The boxes are then stacked on pallets and loaded into a container to be exported.
Upon arrival to the United States the pallets are put into a ripening room until they are bright greenish yellow and then they are distributed to Whole Foods Market stores throughout the country. And that is how we get an EARTH banana from the humid tropics of Costa Rica to your table.