Bananas are now the world’s most exported fruit with approximately 100 billion units and being shipped worldwide.
Cavendish Bananas
The fresh Cavendish bananas we export are carefully selected and sourced from smallholder farmers in Kenya and Uganda by our team and then packed under our own brand ‘Spectrum Fresh Banana’. We source the bananas from banana plantations in Kenya and Uganda. We have adopted 100% drip irrigation technology and have chosen suitable areas in Kenya and Uganda with an ideal climatic conditions to cultivate the bananas. All the bananas are of same origin, variety and quality. We use hygienic containers to pack the bananas.
The Cavendish banana exported by Farm Spectrum is the most popular banana variety that is consumed worldwide. In fact the greatest percentage of bananas that fill the shelves of Western supermarkets are ultimately the Cavendish type. The greatest advantage of the Cavendish banana, just like many varieties of bananas, lies in the fact that they are highly affordable and non-seasonal hence available all year round. The Cavendish banana is mainly grown in the highlands especially in Central and Nyanza regions.
Origin of Cavendish bananas
The Cavendish banana reached the borough of Devonshire in England in the late 19th century from Mauritius. Before that, the Canary Islands had been the cradle from which Portuguese explorers from the 1500s dispersed the variety to a number of countries, including Western Europe and the Americas. However, African varieties of Cavendish, especially the dwarf cultivar, the most popular in Western nations, came into the continent from the original home of the banana, South-east Asia at a very early age. From there they dispersed into Kenya, Uganda and West Africa.
Ideally, our Kenya Cavendish bananas belong to every client who orders with us from any part of the globe. They are of the highest quality, green, clean and fresh-ready for consumption when ripe
The taste of Cavendish banana is great. The fruit can be used for normal consumption as a fruit, fruit salads, baking, fruit compotes as well as complementing routine food.
We ship fresh bananas to global clients. Our Kenya Cavendish banana is of the highest quality, green, clean and fresh-ready for consumption when ripe.
The following important steps are carried out in the process of preparing our Kenya Cavendish banana for export:
Pre-surveying of each Cavendish farm/plantation before any harvest is done.
Each harvesting team must be accompanied by one of the Farm Spectrum’s Banana Quality Inspectors.
Each packing line at the selection and weighing center is supervised by one Quality Inspector.
The pickers and collectors are given clear cutting and handling orders.
The Cavendish bananas are thoroughly checked before being loaded to the shipping containers.
An allowance of 14 hours is given between cutting and loading in order to allow for optimum cooling.
The fruits are thoroughly inspected by relevant government Inspectorate Agencies to ensure conformity to global quality standards.
Specifications of Cavendish Banana
| Color | Green |
| Length | Minimum 18 cm- 25 cm( pulp to tip) |
| Net weight | 13-13.5 Kg per carton box |
| Supply Ability | Per Day 2×40 feet containers |
| Temperature | In refrigerated containers 13.5 degree |
| Maturity | 40 to 46 (depend upon the age, size & length) |
| Hands | 4,5,6 hands 85% & 7 hands 15% |
| Gross weight | 14.1 kg per box |
| Box Quality | Bottom 5ply and Top 3ply strong Carton Box |
| Capacity | 10 containers(40′Ft reefer) /Weekly |
Packing
Bottom 5 Ply And Top 3 Ply Strong Carton Box
Loadability
1x40feet Container Can Loadable 1540 Carton Box (20mt)
Delivery Time
10 To 15 Days from Date of Payment Guarantee Received
Port of Loading
Mombasa Port
Supply Capacity
Weekly 10x40feet Containers Can be Loadable
APPLE BANANAS
Farm Spectrum provides high quality Kenya apple banana to both the local and export markets at fair prices in line with our mission. We source our Kenya apple banana from small holder family growers.
The Kenya apple banana is a fruit of a kind that can serve as a tropical banana to some and leave a taste in some people as a budding apple. Indeed, the reason it uses the two fruit terms is that when it is still tender, it has some nuances of an apple but once it matures, it takes to the aroma and deliciousness of a pineapple or strawberry or simply banana.
The apple banana, before finding its permanent home in Kenya first appeared in the Americas. Its major modern homes include the US state of Hawaii in the Pacific and the Philippines and it is available throughout the world of subtropical climates like south east Asia, Africa and Central America.
Etymologically, the apple banana got its scientific name, latundan from its discoverer, Claude Letoundal who came to India of French ancestry before propagating the apple banana in the Philippines where it became easily the fruit of the country in the banana family.
In comparison to common bananas like East Africa’s matoke, apple bananas contain advanced levels of Vitamin C for improved immunity and Vitamin A for better sight. Apple banana’s high fiber content makes the fruits a great solution in overcoming digestive disorders. It contains 0% cholesterol, making it a great food to combat heart disease. With an Iron level of 11%, the Kenya apple banana serves nearly the same purpose as milk in strengthening bones and improving immunity.
Apple banana will work best for those who want to make desserts because it is quite soft when ripe and does not disintegrate easily into crumbs. You can include the bananas into such foods as hot stew to add savoriness to the otherwise common taste of meat. It can also serve as a delicious escape for gourmets who want to find a contrast to the spice-rich food like ginger and capsicum or chili for it offers a healthy taste balance.
Kenya apple bananas grow best in areas that are well-drained with plenty of annual rainfall. The crop attains maturity when it is at a maximum height of 13 feet. Sun intake is essential because the fruits must turn yellow under the spotlight of the sun. The best climates are usually in Western Kenya and Nyanza where the altitudes are high and rainfall distribution is even throughout the growing season.
The appearance of flowers on bananas and hands (stalks that hold the fruits) are some of the precursors of reproduction in apple bananas. This takes place without visible pollination since the plant has no seeds. When the hands integrate into bunches, it is time to prepare for maturity in a few months’ time, normally four to six months soon after they burst into flower. The flowering of the apple banana is symbolized by whitish, yellow-colored or purple-colored flowers depending on variety.
Maintenance of apple bananas is an important factor especially in the fight against panama disease, an important factor to family growers in the Western highlands of the country. This Fusarium wilt is best controlled by:
Quarantine: by removing the trunks that have signs of the disease, you will not only avoid the
use of fungicides but you will help improve the health of the remaining trees.
Culture conditioning: this is a method of doing away completely with all remainders of the
disease by incinerating every dead tree to keep it completely under control.
You do not have to cut trunks of banana trees during pruning as these are the ones that form the herbaceous backdrop of growth. You will need them for bearing fruits the next year. If you need to prune, just cut off any of the outlying or fallen trunks, as well as, the rotten leaves.
Harvesting mature Kenya apple bananas usually takes place when the fruits in clusters have turned from green to a few shades of black. The yellowing will take place soon after storage, and therefore it is recommended to keep them under good housing in a cool dry place to prevent poor or early ripening from heat. When fully mature, the fruits usually measure 4 to 5 inches in length.
You can distinguish Kenya apple bananas in the market by their generally small sizes and a cluster of many beautiful, yellow and firm fruits. Their taste is usually apple-nuanced, especially when tender – another distinguishing factor.
Whether you want to import high quality apple bananas from Kenya or need to them for the local market, Farm Spectrm is ready to deliver.
