A "Banana Badass" & Her Quest for Fair Trade

Bananas are underpriced. This most popular fruit is one of the cheapest fruits per pound in the produce aisle. They are usually one-fourth to one-third the price of apples, oranges, and pears. The reason is that the farmers and farm workers who grow and harvest the fruit are underpaid, while the global companies who export and distribute them keep the vast share of the profits. Our guest this week on the podcast is out to change that. Kim Chackal is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Equifruit based in Montreal, Canada. They are the leading importer of Fairtrade bananas. Fairtrade is an independent international organization that certifies products are produced and sold according to established fair trade standards. Kim calls herself a “banana badass!” She took the title to draw attention to her and Equifruit’s mission to make the banana industry predominantly fair trade and ensure the growers and workers get more of the benefit from the billion-dollar revenues that flow from it. She will enlighten you about all things banana and convince you of the importance of looking for fair trade bananas coming to a store near you. It may cost you a bit more, but fair trade bananas are still a bargain compared to other fruits and other foods in the grocery store. And the extra cost to you as a consumer need only be pennies per purchase to ensure they are fair trade. For the average consumer, that may only be the price of one Starbucks coffee per year added to their banana purchases!