Sweeter Banana Co of Carnarvon wins Excellence Award

18/8/99

The Sweeter Banana Company has been recognised in a State-wide Award for Excellence in Rural Western Australia.
Primary Industry Minister Monty House presented the Agricultural Innovation Award to the Carnarvon company for its creativity and vision in securing vital markets for their imaginative product.
Mr House said the company was one of three winners in the second year of the Awards for Excellence in Rural Western Australia, which highlighted the tenacity and creativity of rural people in creating a better future for themselves and other country people.
"In response to customer feedback that smaller bananas were preferred to the large, waxy bananas found in retail stores, the company developed a smaller, sweeter banana," the Minister said.
"Early last year, the company conducted a trial with technical support and quality control provided by Agriculture Western Australia, to transport the smaller bananas to markets in Perth with the aim of delivering undamaged fruit.
"It was during this trial that the now-popular Lunch Box Banana was born - a smaller, sweeter banana presented in attractive self-designed bags of random weight."
Mr House said unlike other bananas on the market, Lunch Box Bananas were pre-packed in Carnarvon while they were un-ripe, resulting in very little damage and a high standard bagged banana.
"Through value adding 20 per cent to the 25 per cent share of the market that the small banana holds, the Sweeter Banana Company has added viability to the industry by providing individual growers with a premium," he said.
"This value adding has resulted in a much more viable local industry - when banana prices are low, the value adding premium means the Lunch Box Banana is still feasible."
Mr House praised the company for greatly benefiting the industry by promoting and lifting the profile of Carnarvon bananas.
He said Lunch Box Bananas were now known nationally, and the small banana concept had been embraced by northern New South Wales growers who wished to proceed with the guidance of the Carnarvon Sweeter Banana Company to package and promote their small fruit.
The Awards for Excellence, an initiative of the Minister for Primary Industry, were presented at the recent Progress Rural Conference held in New Norcia.
Other finalists included: The Liebe Group and Mt Romance.
Media contact: Julie Cole (08) 9481 2044