Jennie Coleman is President of Equifruit, a Montreal-based importer and marketer of organic and conventional Fairtrade bananas. OPN recently caught up with Jennie to learn about her background, Equifruit’s mission, the company’s relationships with growers, and more.

Jennie Coleman, President, Equifruit

What is your background, and what led you to Equifruit?

I have an unconventional background. I have two master’s degrees, one in German and the other in library science—and I’m pretty sure I’m the only librarian I’ve ever met in the produce industry. But life is bigger than our youthful educational choices, and curiosity is a powerful professional pathfinder, so before coming to Equifruit, I had had an international career in Namibia, Switzerland, Germany, and China, primarily in business strategy and market analysis.

I came to Equifruit through acquiring the company. At the time, I was looking for something that I could balance with my family commitments, and I’d had a long-time hankering to own my own business. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, and the first couple of years were tough, but it took me into my forties to figure out what I really loved doing, and now I’m hooked on achieving Equifruit’s mission!

What is Equifruit’s mission?

Equifruit has set out to achieve “Global Fairtrade Banana Domination.” We say this a little tongue in cheek—but we’re serious about wanting to change the way we think about bananas, from just a low-price staple to one with a more fair distribution of value along the supply chain. We see Fairtrade as the best framework in which to make our favorite fruit more sustainable—economically, socially, and environmentally.

Equifruit bananas at Asoguabo in Ecuador

Can you describe what it means to be certified by Fairtrade International? And why did you choose that certification over other options?

Fairtrade International’s banana certification is deemed the “Gold Standard” at the World Banana Forum. We like its transparency and the fact that it is a partnership with growers, who own 50 percent of the system—it’s not just a bunch of Northern Hemisphere people dictating the terms of trade to Southern Hemisphere producers. The standards we follow are complex but essentially:

• Producers must grow according to a standard that is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable.
• After meeting the above conditions, producers submit their cost structure to Fairtrade International, who establishes the Fairtrade Minimum Price.
• Buyers like Equifruit agree to respect this Fairtrade Minimum Price throughout the year, regardless of the price movement in the market. (We’re not interested in “good deals” if we know it means bananas have been produced unsustainably.)
• In addition to price, buyers must also contribute a Fairtrade Social Premium—an additional amount, which is used by small producer co-ops and plantation workers to invest in community development projects. For bananas, this is set at $1 USD per standard 40-lb case.

"Equifruit has set out to achieve 'Global Fairtrade Banana Domination.' We say this a little tongue in cheek—but we’re serious about wanting to change the way we think about bananas, from just a low-price staple to one with a more fair distribution of value along the supply chain." - Jennie Coleman

 

What percentage of Equifruit’s bananas are certified organic?

About 75 percent of our bananas are certified organic, though 100 percent of our bananas are certified Fairtrade.

Equifruit bananas at Longo's

Where are your grower partners located, and what do you look for in a partner grower?

We’ve had long-term relationships with two cooperatives of small producers, one in Ecuador and the other in Peru, but we’ve started working with small plantations in Colombia and Mexico in the last couple of years as we scale for growth.

Fairtrade is still trade; it’s still business, so we look initially for partners who emphasize quality and good communication—and after that, for people who share our Fairtrade values, who aren’t doing this just to develop a market product, but who are committed to sustainable production and genuinely care about their workers and communities. 

"Fairtrade International’s banana certification is deemed the 'Gold Standard' at the World Banana Forum. We like its transparency and the fact that it is a partnership with growers, who own 50 percent of the system—it’s not just a bunch of Northern Hemisphere people dictating the terms of trade to Southern Hemisphere producers." - Jennie Coleman

Can you describe your customer base and geographical distribution area? 

We’re on the cusp of launching into the United States, but at the time of this Q&A, we are distributed in Eastern Canada, primarily through direct sales to retailers. We also work through a network of wholesalers who serve smaller organic and natural food stores, and we do a tiny volume to foodservice to serve the needs of Fairtrade college and university campuses. 

Our strength is really working directly with retailers on merchandising and communicating their switch to Fairtrade (and the accompanying price increase) with our trademark Equifruit humor and creativity.

What are some ways your organic grower partners have used their Fairtrade premiums to improve their lives and their communities?

There are so many examples, and many don’t make for very flashy soundbites (such as investments in infrastructure or co-op capacity building), but my personal favorite is probably the investments that our small producer co-op partners in Ecuador, Asoguabo, have made in two local schools for special needs children. We as buyers can’t tell our partners how to use social premium funds, and their support for these two schools predates Equifruit working with them, but as the mother of a profoundly disabled child, it gives me a special thrill to think that through our work here in Canada, we are doing our bit to lighten the load for these very under-resourced institutions. 

"Fairtrade is still trade; it’s still business, so we look initially for partners who emphasize quality and good communication—and after that, for people who share our Fairtrade values, who aren’t doing this just to develop a market product, but who are committed to sustainable production and genuinely care about their workers and communities."

- Jennie Coleman

Bananas have a storied (read: problematic) history. Can you comment on how Equifruit seeks to address this?

“El cambio del siempre” (“changing how things have always been done”)—one of our grower partners recently told me that this is how he sees Equifruit’s role in a stagnant North American market. Bananas are the most popular and cheapest fruit in our basket, thanks to other invisible-to-us people (small growers, plantation workers) subsidizing our fruit through low wages, poor working conditions, and environmental shortcuts. We reject this historical model and are working to change deeply ingrained mindsets on banana pricing. 

Through Fairtrade, we advocate for a more fair distribution of value along the supply chain and have seen the impact this has on grower communities. Raising banana prices is scary for many retailers—but this is where Equifruit comes in, to accompany them in this bold move through marketing, merchandising, and communications support. 

Equifruit team visits Asoguabo in Ecuador

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

We’re well aware that switching your organic banana to Equifruit’s Fairtrade organic banana will cost more, and we know also that raising banana prices seems a risky proposition for most retailers. Americans eat on average 27 pounds of bananas per capita per year. We observe that retailers we work with generally increase their price by 25 cents per pound (30 cents Canadian), which works out to an annual increase for consumers of just $6.75 per year. Even at this higher price, the organic Fairtrade banana is STILL cheaper than the next fruit up in your basket. And yet there’s a story to tell there—a story about responsible sourcing, a story about paying farmers fairly, a story about retailer corporate values.