Colombia develops an innovative banana-based product

In 2023, Colombia saw a 2% growth in banana production, reaching 2.6 million tons. The Banasan Group's subsidiary, Banaplus, has introduced a novel product, banana flour, as part of its innovation strategy. With a capacity to process 30 tons of fresh bananas daily, the company is exploring the potential of green bananas that are usually not exported due to commercial reasons. This flour, which is gluten-free and has a low glycemic index, is recommended for celiac and diabetic individuals. Banaplus is currently exporting small batches of the flour to Europe and the United States, with plans to increase export volume. The product is marketed under the brand Banavital in Colombia.

The Information and Communication Network of the Colombian Agricultural Sector reported that banana production in 2023 grew by 2% with a total of 2.6 million tons. In this context, innovation arises from the Banasan Group, who, through the company Banaplus, developed banana flour. To learn more details, Portalfruticola.com spoke with the manager and head of the Banaplus plant, Luis Rocha. How does the innovation of developing banana flour come about? It is part of the innovation strategy of the Banasan group, a company that has always been between 4th and 5th place in banana production in Colombia, exporting fresh bananas to Europe and the United States. Within the business innovation process, they identified that there was a banana that was not exported, not because of quality issues but more because of commercial issues and the production of green banana flour was proposed. We have a great advantage, because we have bananas certified in different agricultural export standards in ...