Banana B-Sides

31 Banana Cultivars in Every Pint!

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$8.49

Did you know there are more than 1,000 types of bananas in the world? We all know and love the mighty Cavendish banana, which has been the standard banana we see in our grocery stores. But there’s also ultra-sweet bananas like the Lady Finger or the Senorita, the tart tasting Silk banana, or the giant Rhino Horn banana which can grow up to two feet long.

Banana B-Sides includes all of these bananas and more in our signature blended and frozen recipe that’s not only deliciously indulgent, but also supports the biodiversity of bananas and the communities that grow them.

About Banana b-sides

Why is this Important? Bananas are under attack.

Before the ubiquitous Cavendish banana took over 47% of the world’s global banana supply and 99% of all global banana exports, there was the Gros Michel banana, which represented the majority of all commercial bananas. But in the early 20th century, a type of fungal infection called Panama Disease nearly wiped out all of the Gros Michel cultivars. Because our world crop was so highly dependent on that one variety, the loss from one disease was massive.

Researchers quickly bred and started production on the Cavendish banana, which was more resilient to Panama Disease and became the definitive standard for bananas in the United States and Europe. In the early 2000s, a more virulent strain of Panama Disease reared its ugly head and the Cavendish are now threatened with extinction.

Banana B-Sides is a product built on lessons learned from the dangers of putting all your bananas in one basket. Instead of supporting Cavendish banana monocultures, we source 31 different banana cultivars from around the world. Each has its own unique taste and shape, but more importantly, we are supporting their existence which makes the entire banana species more diverse and resilient to a single threat like Panama Disease.

Supporting more banana cultivars is critical to ensuring our global banana supply is resilient and can withstand diseases, pests, and extreme weather. It also ensures we get to enjoy these delicious fruits for generations to come.

Banana B-Sides, where taste and enjoyment meets biodiversity and sustainability.

Created by Alpha Food Labs (Danielle Gould + Mike Lee)

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Concept Inspired By...

Banana B-Sides was inspired by the following movements, technologies, and trends in food today.

  • Agrobiodiversity: A measure of the diversity of organisms in an ecosystem. In nature, where biodiversity exists, the system is typically more resilient to threats such as disease and pests. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines Agrobiodiversity as, “The variety and variability of animals, plants and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. It comprises the diversity of genetic resources (varieties, breeds) and species used for food, fodder, fibre, fuel and pharmaceuticals. It also includes the diversity of non-harvested species that support production (soil microorganisms, predators, pollinators), and those in the wider environment that support agro-ecosystems (agricultural, pastoral, forest and aquatic) as well as the diversity of the agro-ecosystems.”

  • Sustainability At Scale: A concept that imagines how food companies might create products that are more sustainable as they scale, not less. Agriculture is one of the most intensive systems impacting the health of our planet. Can we take the most sustainable farming practices--crop rotation, organic agriculture, permaculture--and make these practices the rule, instead of the exception?