All About Plantains

Organics Unlimited plantains are a unique food item that can be a great addition to your store’s exotic fruit selection. Depending on your region, customers may not know what to do with the banana-like fruit. Here are some helpful tips and tricks about plantains:

· The more ripe the fruit is, the sweeter it tastes

· Green plantains are great for savory recipes, while ripe (or brown) plantains are perfect for sweet recipes

· Green plantains are very hard to peel. Share this method: Slice off ends of plantain and use the tip of a paring knife to slice through the skin along the curved side

· Green plantains can often be used like a potato. Add chunks to soups or fry rounds in oil and sprinkle with sea salt for a tasty alternative to a potato chip

· Brown plantains are a little sweeter than a typical banana. They taste great pan fried in butter and served over vanilla bean ice cream

· Yellow plantains can also be used. They’re more tender with a creamier texture than the green plantains and can be mashed, baked or grilled

· Ripen green plantains at room temperature for three days in order to achieve a perfectly sweet brown plantain

Here are a couple easy recipes to share with your customers:

Sweet Sautéed Plantains

Tostones

Spotlight on: Heriberto Maximino Garcia Ramos

This story could be one your chain starred in merely because of how you purchase produce.  $.60 of every box of GROW (Giving Resources and Opportunities to Workers) bananas goes to help people like Max.

“Hi! My name is Heriberto Maximino Garcia Ramos, but you can call me Max. I’m 15 years old and live in Colima, Mexico with my parents and younger brother. I am in tenth grade and am fortunate enough to be part of GROW’s scholarship program. In order to help support my family, I work five hours a day out in the fields, then after that, I attend school classes from 1:30pm-8:00pm. Even with the little money I do make, I am not able to pay for simple school supplies like books, paper and pencils.

“Thanks to the GROW fund, I’m able to focus on my schooling and work towards my goal of becoming a computer engineer in the future. In order to retain my scholarship, I know I must maintain my good GPA, perform community service, attend weekly homework clubs and always act respectfully to my teachers and peers. I am so thankful for this opportunity and I work very hard each day to do my best in school and be a positive contributor to my community!”

By purchasing GROW bananas, you’re helping children like Max achieve his goals and dreams. Your customers will appreciate the opportunity to support GROW, which not only contributes scholarships, but also helps provide vision and dental clinics to workers and their families. For more GROW stories, helpful point of purchase displays and retailer tips, visit our Facebook page, website and blog.

Summer Merchandising Tips

With spring underway and summertime quickly approaching, more and more people will trek outdoors to bask in the summer sun. Your customers will want foods that travel well, promote healthy eating and please everyone in their families. Bananas are the perfect snack to take to the beach or tote to an outdoor picnic. They’re nutritious, don’t require refrigeration and are extremely convenient. Increasing banana sales is easy this time of year with some simple cross merchandising tips:

• Display bananas near summer beach essentials like sunscreen, water toys and beach umbrellas. Encourage customers to purchase bananas for a quick snack that they can toss in their beach bag
• Set picnic baskets near banana displays and develop some simple POP signage
• Set a few bananas in a basket near the deli or sandwich case
• Display bananas by deli salads and cold case
• Display bananas near specialty and fresh-baked breads and fresh cheeses

Click here to download our current POP. For more merchandising tips, subscribe to our blog and follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Bananas and Fitness

Help your active shoppers with healthy ideas to replenish their bodies before and after their spring workouts. Here are some tips that could impact their energy levels and their impulse buys.

Bananas are one of the best foods you can eat before and after an intense workout.

• Before exercising, bananas provide necessary amounts of energy and stamina needed to endure strenuous workouts.
• After exercising, the potassium in bananas helps repair muscle tissue and replenish glycogen levels.

Eat half of a banana on its own before and after, or try one of these healthy carb/protein combos for post workout:

Banana Protein Shake: Blend half a banana with 2 scoops of whey protein and some water

Peanut Butter and Banana with Rice Cakes: Spread 1 tbsp of all natural peanut butter on 2 brown rice cakes. Top with ½ a sliced banana

Yogurt with Bananas and Berries: Mix 8 oz of plain, lowfat yogurt with ½ a chopped banana and a ½ cup of berries

Banana Quesadilla: Spread a whole grain tortilla with 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter. Top with ½ a ripe banana. Fold and cut into wedges

Oatmeal with Bananas: Mix half a cup of cooked steel-cut oats with lowfat milk and half a sliced banana

Be the answer to high energy for your customers. Give them “Energy on the Go” with bananas.