Barnana Snacks has announced that it has deepened its commitment to organic farmers by acquiring its Latin American supply and manufacturing partner, Agroapoyo, based in Quito, Ecuador. The formal step was taken to cement a long and fruitful partnership built on mutual respect and shared values that has propelled tremendous year-over-year growth for the brand.
“We owe our success to the small farmers, many of whom are indigenous to the Amazon, who grow top-quality organic bananas and plantains using regenerative practices that rebuild and restore soil biodiversity,” said Caue Suplicy, founder of Barnana. “As our business expands, we want to share our success with our fruit growers and help transition more farmers to using these methods.”
Barnana is a Certified B Corporation and a Founding Member of the Upcycled Food Association. Since 2013, Barnana has upcycled tens of millions of bananas and plantains including over 12 million this year alone, saving them from becoming greenhouse gas-emitting food waste and creating a revenue stream for produce that otherwise would go to waste. Food Network magazine and Whole Foods listed climate-beneficial upcycled food as a top trend for 2021.
By way of its more than 8-year relationship with Agroapoyo, Barnana has invested in training small farmers in organic growing methods and helping them obtain organic certification. Today, they work with more than 1,500 farmer leaders in the Amazon with projections for this number to almost double in the next 5 years as the business expands.
“We’ve been partners with Barnana for years and are thrilled to formalize the relationship into one vertically integrated team,” said Maria del Carmen Narváez, manager of Barnana Ecuador. “This move will ensure our farmers stay strong physically, mentally and financially due to enhanced job stability and economic growth. Barnana has been a trusted friend in business and has demonstrated a commitment to social justice through this acquisition.”
The new structure creates a “farm-to-shelf” company that enables sustained growth in revenue and resources to farmers making the transition to organic regenerative production methods. It also helps ensure a steady, reliable and growing supply of organic bananas and plantains for Barnana in the years to come. Barnana’s strong U.S. sales growth and robust new product pipeline point to the wisdom of solidifying the relationship between the two entities.
