You may have seen these bananas in stores and wondered what the red wax tip means and what the difference is from a regular banana. We are here to tell you all about them with, 5 facts about sustainably farmed Ecoganic® Red Tip® Bananas.
The Red Tip® represents that the bananas are farmed using the Ecoganic® farming method, with environmentally conscious and sustainable practices that embrace the natural ecosystem and strive to rejuvenate biodiversity.
The Ecoganic® farming method is a world-leading process that was designed by passionate Australian farmers seeking to make a difference and change farming for the better.
Over 25 years, Ecoganic® Red Tip® Bananas have been grown in an eco-friendly, sustainable and careful way by these Australian farmers actively working alongside nature’s farmers - the insects, wildlife and other organisms.
This Australian-pioneered farming method is the passion project of Australian growers, Frank and Dianne Sciacca and has been perfected over 25 years. It’s earth-friendly, creature-friendly farming, working in unity with nature.
Ecoganics® is a scientific approach to farming that uses environmental management systems and sustainable production practices to reduce environmental footprints.
Ecoganic® farming is farming with nature by utilising the natural ecosystem and not using harsh pesticides or chemicals that can impact on the environment and food safety.
Since 2003, The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has endorsed Ecoganic® for their proactive and innovative farming, sharing the same goals of protecting the reef and waterways.
Having grown up diving on the Great Barrier Reef, Frank Sciacca witnessed the degradation of the Reef and the changes to the nearby ecosystem first-hand.
The Ecoganic® farming method strives to minimise future degradation
and reverse the decline of surrounding ecosystems, soil and waterways, including the Great Barrier Reef.
This positive environmental impact and mission to protect, rebuild and improve the surrounding natural habitat is why Ecoganic® Red Tip® Bananas are the only bananas to be endorsed by The Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
What is the wax coating on Red Tip® bananas?
You may be curious to know why we dip the fruit in coloured wax and whether it is safe.
The wax tip is an identifier for consumers to know they are buying an Ecoganic® banana. This trademarked waxing of the bananas will not be found elsewhere giving retailers & consumers’ confidence that they are buying genuine Ecoganic® Red Tip® bananas.
No machinery is used to harvest the bananas.
Our pickers use a cane knife to cut the branch by hand and lower the fruit on their shoulders. Once on their shoulder, the bunch is cut off and loaded on a trailer used to gather all of the fruit. The ‘tree’ is cut down and placed carefully back down to mulch and continue to build, strengthen and protect the environment.
The pups (baby banana plants) that grow at the base of the plant are replanted for a future harvest.
Once the trailer is full, it is transported to the packing shed where the bunches are washed, the fruit is then dipped in the food grade wax, packed, and then undergoes a final quality check before being transported to stores.
Did you know? The banana ‘tree’ isn’t a tree at all. It is a very large herb. Being a herb, bending and cutting the bananas is easier because it has a pseudostem not a trunk.
The Ecoganic® Red Tip® banana is a fruit with a sweeter creamier flavour and a denser texture that lasts longer on shelf or in your pantry. These bananas are firm and fleshy allowing for easy slicing.