Bananas grow on trees, right?

Well, it’s not on trees – because bananas are actually giant herbs! It takes one year for a baby banana plant to grow into a 20-foot-tall banana plant. As the plant grows, it fills out and turns upward toward the sun seeking light and vitamins. Then the plant blossoms and the bananas grow, taking on their very distinctive smiley shape.  From blossom to harvest takes about 3 months.

How are bananas harvested?

Bananas are harvested when they are green. Expert cutters select the fruit according to maturity, quality and the thickness of the fingers. This process is a race against time because the bananas start to ripen as soon as they are cut from the plant. They are immediately sorted, washed and packed (all by hand) into protective boxes or trays, ready for the voyage to your Food City. Only bananas that meet Fyffes specifications receive the Fyffes symbol of quality - the Fyffes blue label - applied by hand to each cluster. 

Fun banana facts

• The banana plant is the largest plant in the world without a wooden trunk! It is a perennial herb in the same family as lillies, orchids and palms and the stem is actually made up of leaves wrapped around one another. There are more than 500 varieties, some growing to more than 9 meters high.

• The banana is curved because it grows upwards toward the sun.

• The word banana comes from the Arabic word "Banan" which means finger.

• Bananas taste best when harvested green and allowed to ripen off the plant.

• Bananas are grown all year round and are harvested every day of the year. Always in season and always fresh.

• The most common variety of banana is the Cavendish.