Why Buy Organic Bananas?

“Organic” is a hot word right now. We all know that organic foods are supposed to be better for your body and for the environment. But did you know about the specific health and community benefits of our Organics Unlimited bananas?

Conventional bananas are treated with harsh herbicides, pesticides and fungicides when they're growing, harvested and shipped. Sometimes, they’re treated with chemicals like nematocides, benomyl and chloropyrifos to avoid worms and prevent uprooting. But did you know that nematocides could be lethal, benomyl is linked to birth defects and chloropyrifos is a neurotoxin?

Not only are our bananas free of these harmful chemicals, they also taste better than conventional bananas! A pioneer in organic growing, we’ve mastered the process and know what it takes to grow the perfect, best tasting organic banana.

Plus when you buy our GROW branded bananas, you’re contributing to the heath and well being of our farmers and their families living in Mexico. It’s a small way to contribute to the socially responsible society that we live in, and a big way to make a difference in someone’s life!

Find Our Bananas in San Diego!

Until recently, it was hard to find Organics Unlimited or GROW branded bananas in San Diego, as most of our distributors dispersed our bananas to natural grocers on the Pacific Northwest. However, if you live in San Diego, our bananas can now be easily purchased at several natural grocery stores! Thanks to this new distribution path, you’re now able to buy bananas that are grown as close to home as possible. Here is a list of stores that sell our bananas:


Jimbo's (GROW bananas)-4S Ranch, Escondido, Carlsbad and Carmel Valley
Sprouts (Organics Unlimited bananas)-El Cajon, Carmel Mountain Ranch and San Marcos
People's Organic Foods Coop (Organics Unlimited bananas)-Ocean Beach

Help People Like Anahi

The GROW Fund is a non-profit organization that makes a real difference in real people’s lives. It is dedicated to providing a better lifestyle for farm workers and their families. Read about how the GROW Fund has changed Anahi’s life in her own words:

“My name is Anahi Ramirez Rivera, a student from Cerro de Ortega, a small town in the state of Colima. I have worked since I was 12 years old to pay for school because my father died and my mom couldn’t support all of the expenses of a family of 6 children where the eldest was only 16. I have done everything from working as a waitress to working in the lime and tomato fields. I have always had a hard time achieving my educational goals because my mom always told me to take my head out of the clouds and realize that studying at a professional level was not an option for me. She encouraged me to find a good job with which I could help support my family. I never gave up on my studies however, defending the idea that with higher education would come better help for my family.

I was a junior in high school when I first heard about Project Amigo and the GROW Foundation. The program primarily invited students from middle school and junior high to apply and I was already about to graduate from high school. I decided to apply for the program, a process that lasted a whole month. I did not know if I would receive the scholarship but took the chance and completed the enrollment process for the University of Colima. Throughout my life I have never stopped working, so you can imagine the emotions that surged the day I went to school and saw my name on the list of scholarship recipients. I couldn’t believe I would truly be able to afford the cost of receiving a professional degree. I cried tears of happiness as I ran home to find a backpack filled with school supplies on my bed and my family waiting to congratulate me. I am so thankful to the GROW Foundation, without them I would have never been able to achieve my dream.”

Help provide life changing opportunities for people like Anahi by buying GROW bananas or donating directly to the GROW fund through the GROW Earth Day Donation Project on the facebook page’s Donate tab.

The History of the Organics Unlimited Banana

A couple days ago as I chatted with my grandfather, I stumbled upon an interesting piece of history: the reason my grandfather began organic banana production. I had always assumed he grew organic bananas because of the growing demand for organic produce, but I was wrong!

In 1972, my grandfather met a man named Craig Silly, a flower child with a love for garlic milkshakes and funky moustaches. Mr. Silly became my grandfather’s client after he discovered and fell in love with the great tasting bananas. Curious, he asked him how he grew the fruit. My grandpa described a truly natural process that included watering the fruit with the river water that flowed through the farms. When Mr. Silly realized that my grandfather was growing organic bananas, he promptly partnered with him to become the first organic banana wholesaler in the United States.

I love this story, not only because it is the defining moment in the creation of a family business that spans three generations, but because of the small detail that took me off guard: my grandfather didn’t even realize he was growing organic bananas! He tells me that he did not know there was such a thing as “organic,” he had just been growing bananas the way generations before him did...naturally.

Earth Day Donation Project is Up and Running!

We are thrilled to announce that the GROW Earth Day Donation Facebook tab is up and running! We developed the idea on Earth Day 2010, with the goal of raising $10,000 for the GROW Scholarship Endowment Fund. This fund will ensure that the educational help that workers and their families get from GROW will continue into the future.

For more information and to donate, go to GROW’s Facebook tab. Share the info with your friends by posting the tab to your wall. Donate by clicking on the Donate button and watch the banana tree GROW with your donations! You can donate as little or as much as you can-every penny helps these amazing people and children of Mexico!

Thanks in advance for your donation and support!