It all started when Summer, Rahul, and Elani wanted to know where the banana we ate for lunch came from. We then began to investigate the Northfield Mount Hermon dinning staff. The dinning staff happily provided us with our next clue. The clue that led us to the next level of our mystery. Getting this far was easy to trace and get information. As our research progressed we gained insight on how far our food travels and what it has to go through. It took us about 3 days worth of calling just to find out where bananas came from. If this was compared to the actual journey the banana took you could only imagine how long it traveled. On the other hand if you bought locally you wouldn’t have to take any of these steps and everything you bought would be nice and fresh!
As we unfold our clue we saw a list of produce we are able to purchase, from apples to string beans. The list just started to glow as our eyes spotted bananas right underneath avocados.
We quickly copied down the number an googled them to find the rest of their contact information. However, after calling Black River Produce we lost hope in completing this mission, due to the fact that no one picked up the phone. We felt frustrated and defeated, but we decided to call one more time. They finally picked up after 1 hour. A woman was kind enough to answer our questions until she hung-up the phone. We were beyond angry. Instead of calling them back, we looked up the information we were provided with. We typed “Peru Fair-Trade” into Google but all these different sites came up and none of them were relevant. As a group we just had to call back Black River Produce again. Around 8:00 p.m. we called repeatedly and after our 10th call they FINALLY picked up. We were given the information to contact Danielle, who we could only reach the next day.
Immediately the next day we contacted Danielle who then sent us to another source called OKE USA. This is were we hit the mother load. We talked to her for the next hour, and she told us EVERYTHING we needed to know. After this call we could put all the pieces together. Here is our story of the Traveling Banana.
The banana (A.K.A.) George begins in a small farm in Peru. The workers who pick the bananas completely handle their own schedule. They get paid above the national average and are paid before working. From the farm, were George and his friends are picked raw they are washed, packed into crates, and stored at 57 to 58 F. George is loaded onto a truck and is taken on a one hour ride to a port yard. There are about 960 containers loaded onto a ship. This is NOT a banana boat. This boat contains other goods such as mangos and fruits. Then, George travels by boat through the panama canal then up to New York. When George and his friends get to New York they are removed from the boat but not their crates. They are distributed by truck, train, and plane to different parts of the country. In our case the bananas travel by truck from New York to Vermont. They are sent to the Black River Produce Company, were they are sent to Northfield Mount Hermon. Once at his destination George is unpacked and ripened. Later on in the week they are put on display for the students to choose. Rahul decided George was the best fit for his breakfast and before he knew it George was gone!
By: Rahul,Elani,& Summer
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