Nestled against the piles of yellow bananas in grocery stores around Australia are bunches of small yellow bananas with bright red waxed tips. The fruit is the product of farmers Frank and Dianne Sciacca of Pacific Coast Produce, which is located in Northern Queensland near Innisfail among the sugar fields of the region.
Established in 1999, the farm produces the wax tip eco-banana through environmentally friendly farming practices.
Eco-Farming
According to the company website, “nature inspired innovation to produce a better banana.” When purchasing the eco-bananas, customers are supporting a farming practice that “reduces the impacts of agrichemicals and synthetic fertilisers.” No nematicides, insecticides or miticides are used on the soil and minimum amount of fertiliser is used throughout production. The company claims that this produces a more natural growing cycle and whilst farming, they seek to improve soil biology.
At Pacific Coast Produce, “water is used efficiently through drip systems, minimising runoff and protecting water quality.” Attention to the environmental sensitivity is important as it ultimately affects surrounding ecosystems, including the nearby Great Barrier Reef.
Wax Tip Bananas
The wax tip is a marketing ploy used by the company to differentiate their eco-product in the produce section of grocery stores. Each banana is hand dipped into hot, food grade wax at the time of packing at the farm.
The farming practices at Pacific Coast Produce yield a sweet fruit that has a hint of caramel. Unlike other bananas, the eco-banana has a satisfying density akin to the small ladyfinger bananas from the same region. The company asserts that the banana has an extended shelf life however the fruit is so inciting, the bunch rarely lasts long enough to spoil.
The Farm
Tourists visiting North Queensland who have had enough of the rainforests and reefs are able to visit the farm through appointment only. Although Pacific Coast Produce is not open for structured tours on a daily basis, they do offer tours for larger groups that simply need to be coordinated in advance.
The area is a popular destination for backpackers seeking work in the fruit picking industry and Pacific Coast Produce offers employment opportunities for backpackers travelling in the area.
Pacific Coast Eco Bananas, 228 Boogan Road, Mourilyan via Innisfail QLD 4860
I love bananas, and these sound yummy and much better for both us and the environment. A win-win situation.
Too true, Julie.
Although, knowing massive spiders like to hide within the bunches puts me off the whole fruit picking idea!
Only wolf spiders and the odd dollseye python, carpet snakes
Dumbest marketing idea ever. I bought these things once and ended up with bits of wax all over the place.
Why, oh why would you make a natural product such a pain in the arse to eat?
Oh, and they didn’t taste any better than any other banana I can find.
Hi Lance,
What on earth were you doing with the bananas to get wax all over the place! It never comes off mine.
And how were you eating them? There’s only a little red tip on the banana.
They may not taste any different, but because of the way they’re farmed they’re not covered in toxic pesticides. I prefer my fruit just as nature intended it… without all the toxic crap sprayed over it.
I avoid eating lots of fruit here for the same reason. If it stings the heck out or your mouth when eating it… as many apples do here… I don’t think they’re good enough to eat. Same goes for grapes.
I live in Australia and I am shamed to say I haven’t even tried the red tipped bananas. After reading this though, I will definitely give them a try.
I agree with others. They may be environmentally grown but they taste like any other banana.But the wax is not environmental as it does not break down in the compost bin.
Also the fruitier does not differentiate your product as environmental. Joe. W.
Red tip bananas are the only bananas I eat. They taste like the authentic banana I ate when I was a child. Yummy and flavoursome. If these are not available, I won’t buy the standard bananas as they taste rubbery and have no flavour!
I’m with you!
I do taste a difference… but then it could be all in my head!
ps.
I love how this post is still getting comments 5 years later!
I tried Red tipped Bananas for the first time this week. they taste like bananas should.. lovely flavour and texture.. I will be buying them again
Hi deedee,
I love that even though this post was written five years ago people are still finding it!
The red tips are green now in a lot of shops. Not sure why, but still very tasty.
The green tip means fully organic, not just sustainable
Hi Alice,
No, their bananas can come in various colours – all the eco-bananas are fully organic, regardless of tip colour. Here’s some more info: http://www.eco-banana.com.au/ecobananas/
Thanks for this article. I’ve been buying red tipped bananas for a while now, on and off. Regular bananas are often a bit ‘floury’, these red tipped bananas are always delicious. its good to know the production difference, and I’m often disappointed with organics at the supermarket being overly packaged. Red tips seem like a much better compromise to distinguish the product.
Hi,
I am interested in the waxing process and the wax used as I have another product that needs to exclude air from the cut wound for extending shelf life.
Could you please contact me to discuss. Mike 04198 261238
Hi Mike,
Sorry, I missed your comment. I think it would be much better to call the company that produces the bananas rather than me.
Follow the link in the article to get their contact details.
Cheers,
Linda
Thank you, the Bananas are really good and I feel good knowing it is free from chemicals 🙂
Amazinggggggggggg bananas….
After eating commercial grown bananas from quite a long time, now I can realize what the real taste of banana is. Even though the commercial bananas are quite big & yellow in color but it terms of taste and texture, they are nowhere close to red tipped bananas. Yesterday, I have purchased 16 bananas from Melbourne Coles on special (just $3.50 per KG) and even though its skin has lot of black spots but bananas are still firm from inside….
But still one query – I know they don’t use any chemicals in the production of bananas. However, do they use Ethylene gas to ripen the bananas? I asked this question as I have seen the following statement on their website -” Ecoganic™ bananas are ripened slowly in purpose built ripening rooms prior to transport to grocery stores and sale to you”……
Hi Aman,
I’m not sure about your query, but I plan to talk to the producers and find out for you.
My other banana skins go straight into the compost bin. Red tip wax does not biodegrade. It is a daily nuisance to have to throw the wax tip into a separate non-recyclable rubbish bin after cutting that bit off. This avoids having red wax permanently present and forever increasing around my garden. Why does an “sustainable” product have to be labelled with a non-biodegradable substance ? (Otherwise I do prefer your environmentally preferable product – thanks !)
Hi Chris,
Seeing as so many people have queries about the product, I’m going to chat the producers and will update this post to answer everyone’s queries very soon.
I recommend squishing the tip of the empty banana peel, causing it to peel itself away from the wax. I’ve done this before and recycled the wax into candles.
Hi Ross,
That is a great idea. I’m planning to update this post with lots more information, and talk to the producers to get more information about their product and the wax. I’ll include your top tip in the new update.
Thanks!
Thank you very for the candle making tip! I’m working towards my own red banana wax candle now 🙂
My wife on occasion purchases the red tip bananas from Woolworths.
Unfortunately in many cases they are terribly green which I assume relates to how the supermarket stores and distributes the bananas. It makes them very unappetising to eat even though they may be eco friendly.
Hi Auke, if the bananas are green you need to leave them to ripen for a few days. Any banana when eating before it’s ready doesn’t taste that good.
I only just found out about the production behind the red wax bananas and the penny dropped as to why these taste so good!
Ross, thank you very much for the tip about recycling the wax into candles. I’ll be doing the same from now on 🙂
Is the wax that you use biodegradable? Can I put these banana skins including the wax in my compost bin?
Wonderful alternative when organic bananas aren’t available. Wish I’d know about them years ago! Never knew anything till watching an episode of Landline. I’m sure more people would buy them if some info was provided about them.
“OMG!”… is all I had to say when I figured out why these bananas are THE ONLY bananas that taste like REAL BANANAS!
I couldn’t resist and posted about them on my organics discounts page… even though, no, there was no discount lol 🙂
Erm maybe environmentally grown but surely the energy and material used in the waxing process means the carbon footprint of producing these bananas exceeds those other non-waxed bananas?
Does anyone know the process involved?
Hi Ben,
Sorry I missed your comment. I’ve spoken to the owners of EcoBanana and asked how they produce them and what they use for the waxing process. The wax is food grade wax – the same used in cheese making. I’m updating this post soon to include more information, but in the meantime have a read of Eco-bananas site. They have a huge amount of info on there. And if you see how they grow their bananas, no, their carbon footprint is much lower than any other banana production. Have a read: http://www.eco-banana.com.au/ecobananas/
Hi Linda, I found thread this after trying to work out how to recycle the red wax tips. The Ecobanana website says the wax is recyclable, but not how. I just emailed them using the address on their website to ask, but as far as I can tell, cheese wax isn’t recyclable, so maybe their’s isn’t either. Do you know?
Cheers, Neil