Ecuador’s Weather is Changing Bananas in California—Here’s How

“Is anyone seeing more banana scarring than usual this week?” our California operations manager, Nicole, asks me and The FruitGuys’ fruit buyers. “We’re seeing a lot in California right now.”

Everyone shakes their heads. We’re in a weekly meeting where we get together to talk about fruit, including which varieties we’ll have in our mixes region to region, what the buyers are excited about, and what they’re watching out for. I turn to Nicole and ask, “Do you know what’s causing the scarring?”

Nicole explains that a tropical storm hit while the bananas were still on the trees in Ecuador, and the high winds rubbed the fruit together more than usual. The bananas were green at the time, but as they ripened, the places where they touched formed scars.

What to Know About Banana Scarring

Banana scarring doesn’t affect how the fruit tastes, but it does impact its appearance. So Nicole tells us that she and the team are working closely with our banana provider to make sure our bananas look as good as possible.

Handling cosmetic issues like these is always a balancing act. At The FruitGuys, we don’t like to waste food (any extra we have goes to feed those in need). But we also know that employees eat with their eyes, so we have to balance embracing imperfections with delivering fruit that’s aesthetically pleasing. If the “fruit beauty mark” doesn’t affect the taste or the quality of the fruit, we’ll sometimes keep the item in our mixes. But if it’s too severe, like the banana scarring, we’ll donate the fruit instead.

Weather, Supply Chains, and Your Fruit

This whole conversation stuck with me because it shows a fascinating ripple effect. I know that weather impacts food (I write and think about it a lot), but it’s still so interesting that a storm that happened weeks ago and thousands of miles away can show up in what you’re eating in the break room. It’s also fascinating to me to see supply chain mechanisms at work. Our East Coast buyers had no banana issues because their bananas arrived in different ports from different growing regions.

What to Do If a Delivery Isn’t Quite Right

Nicole and her team are working hard to make sure all of our California clients get bananas that look as good as possible. But sometimes, no matter how hard we try or how many resources we have, we can’t outmaneuver Mother Nature. If you ever receive fruit from us that you can’t use—whether it’s a scarred banana or a peach that’s too soft—please let customer service know. We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and we’ll replace it or issue a credit right away.