Chiquita

Top Banana

Bananas are the world's favorite fruit. Today there are about 400 varieties of bananas. North American and Europeans are most familiar with the Cavendish banana. That's the same variety as most Chiquita^® bananas. We also sell Chiquita minis^® - a naturally smaller variety of bananas perfect for When A Little Is Exactly Enough^®.

When is a banana not just a banana? When it's Chiquita, of course! It's true...when asked to name one brand of bananas, more consumers say Chiquita than any other brand. Consumers also say that Chiquita wins in all categories over the competition: taste, appearance, freshness, nutrition, value and size. And now we can say that Chiquita brand bananas are certified by the American Heart Association as a heart-healthy food when eaten as part of a low-fat balanced diet.

But what is it that makes Chiquita bananas so popular? It starts with our commitment that reaches around the world. From the banana plantation to the supermarket display, we are determined to have the highest quality bananas.

Since Chiquita began, we've led the industry in methods to continually improve quality. We set the standards for cultivation, irrigation, fertilization and of course, research. We select only the absolutely best fruit to send to market. We pioneered refrigerated ships to give customers the freshest bananas. We created special shipping cartons to cradle our bananas and protect them from bruising.

Today, from planting to harvest, Chiquita continues our tradition of uncompromising quality for the bananas we provide. We've worked hard to earn our reputation and maintain it. So when you see the Chiquita label, you know you're getting great taste, quality and nutrition.

Where they grow

Bananas flourish in tropical regions such as the Caribbean and Central America where the average temperature is 80° F (27° C) and the yearly rainfall is 78-98 inches (198-249 centimeters). In fact, most bananas you buy are grown within 10 degrees either side of the equator. Iceland is an exception, where banana plants are grown in soil heated by geysers. To see exactly where bananas are harvested for commercial use, take a peek at our map.

How they ripen

Bananas are harvested green and sweeten as they ripen. Their peel reveals their exact stage of ripeness. A dark green peel is very firm. As the banana ripens, the peel color lightens and changes to yellow. During this process, the starch within the banana converts to sugar giving riper bananas their creamy, sweet taste.

As soon as the banana stem is cut from the plant, ripening starts. Within 36 hours, the fruit, packed in boxes, is loaded onto refrigerated ships. The cool temperatures put the bananas to sleep and temporarily stops them from ripening. The whole trip, from plantation to grocery store, takes about two weeks.

Chiquita classifies banana ripeness into seven color stages, ranging from all green to yellow flecked with brown. Most people like their bananas at color 5 which is yellow with green tips and green necks or color 6 which is all yellow except for light green necks. If the bananas you buy aren't as ripe as you'd like, try sealing them in a brown paper bag with an apple or tomato overnight.

To slow the ripening process once bananas reach your preferred ripeness, put them in the refrigerator. Even though our original jingle warned consumers not to refrigerate bananas, it's really OK. The skin may turn dark, but the fruit will be just right for several days. Back in 1944 when the "Chiquita Banana" jingle lyrics were written, consumers would typically bring home green bananas and put them in the refrigerator which kept them from ripening properly.

How do you like your bananas? Tipped with green, all yellow or flecked with brown?

How they grow

Edible bananas originated in the Indo-Malaysian region. The banana plant is not a tree; it is in fact the world's largest perennial herb, which reaches a height of 25 feet (7 m) and develops massive leaves that may extend 9 feet (3 m) in the air. Linnaeus originally named it Musa paradisiaca, which means Muse of paradise, and is closely related to ginger and ornamental plants such as birds of paradise, amaranths and canna lilies.

Banana plants do not have woody stems; instead leafy stalks sprout from an fleshy underground stem called a rhizome, which contains many buds, similar to the eyes of a potato. After the stalk has matured, a large bud develops at the top, and a flower stem emerges. As the bud unfolds, tiny rows of flowers emerge. In time, each flower will become an individual banana called "finger." Each row has 12 to 20 fingers that make up a "hand," and each stem develops 7 to 14 hands of bananas.

The banana stem is ready to harvest when the plant is about 9 months old, and it can weigh 100 pounds (45 kilograms) or more. After harvesting, the plant is cut so a daughter plant that has sprouted from the same rhizome, and has already grown to about one-third the size of the mother plant, can take her place - and the whole process starts again. Edible bananas, which are technically "berries," do not produce seeds, so their rhizomes are hundreds of years old!