| More than thirty years ago a group of banana
growers decided to take control of their own destiny - and Turbana
was born. For many years, these growers had sold their individual
production to the multinationals, but in 1966 after being unable
to reach a new agreement, the growers formed a co-operative
named Unibán to export their fruit to international markets.
In 1970 Unibán
created Turbana Corporation to market its fruit directly
in the United States under the Turbana label. Five years
later, it started a close business relationship with
the Dutch importer, Velleman & Tas International
B.V., which distributes Unibán's products in
Europe under the Turbana label.
Through the years the organization has become vertically
integrated to better serve our customers. Over time,
we've added an agricultural Research & Development
Center for quality control, packing and loading facilities,
a cardboard box company, a plastic bags company - Polyban,
ISO 9002 certified - and a maritime customs agency.
Now, the entire process is controlled from meristem
production until the fruit is loaded unto the customer's
truck.
In 1989, Unibán established a social foundation, FundaUnibán,
to contribute to the social and economic development of the
banana and plantain growing regions in Colombia. FundaUnibán
bases its work on the principle of community involvement in
the areas of housing, education, infrastructure and development
of small businesses.
Today, thanks to the enviable geographical position of its
plantations and the flexibility and efficiency of its vertically
integrated organization, Unibán has established itself
among the leaders of the global banana trade, with exports
to Russia, China and the Middle East.
And after all those years of growth and success, our growers
still own the farms that produce our bananas.
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