The Banana Badass: How Jennie Coleman Turned Values Into a Market Advantage - Toronto - Canada's Entrepreneur

Jennie Coleman is the President and Co-owner of Equifruit, North America's leading banana brand, and a recognized leader in ethical sourcing in Canada. Jennie currently lives in Montreal with her husband and three children. Prior to acquiring Equifruit in 2013, Jennie lived all over the world including Beijing, Berlin, Zurich, the UK, Namibia and Toronto. Jennie considers herself as a "repreneur", having been driven to buy Equifruit by a long-standing itch to step into entrepreneurship and marry her corporate business background with her passion for sustainability and justice. In her role at Equifruit, Jennie is on a mission to right the wrongs of banana business history by paying banana farmers fairly for their fruit. She has transformed Equifruit from a niche banana importer into a bold and disruptive brand redefining how Canadians think about ethical produce. Jennie has earned national recognition, including EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist (2023, Canada's Most Admired CEO (Waterstone Human Capital, 2024), RBC Women of Influence Momentum Award (2023) and one of Canada's Most Powerful Women (Women's Executive Network, 2025). Under Jennie's leadership, Equifruit has been recognized as one of Canada's Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail for four consecutive years. Equifruit is 100% Fairtrade, B Corp and proudly women-owned. Their model is to make Fairtrade as popular and loveable as pop culture. Stay Connected with #CanadasEntrepreneur! Join our growing community of entrepreneurs across Canada! Don't miss out on inspiring interviews, expert insights, and the latest business trends from the people shaping the future of our economy. 👉 Subscribe to our YouTube channel for full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@CanadasEntrepreneur 🌐 Explore more on our website: https://canadasentrepreneur.com 💼 Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/canadas-entrepreneur 📸 Follow behind-the-scenes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadasentrepreneur 👍 Stay in the loop on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canadasentrepreneur 🐦 Join the conversation on X: https://x.com/CanadasPreneur 💡 Want exclusive updates on the latest #entrepreneur podcasts and news? Make sure to subscribe and never miss a beat! Your support helps us continue bringing you the best stories from Canada’s top business leaders.