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Sol Simple Solar Dried Organic Bananas – A Fantastic Product and An Amazing Story

I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to share with you great-tasting organic products that are also making a big difference in the world.

One such product that I recently discovered at Whole Foods Tribeca is Sol Simple Solar Dried Bananas.

Produced in Nicaragua, the organic bananas come in thin spears and are dried indoors using a solar drying technology, which enables Sol Simple to reduce carbon emissions.

According to the company, traditional outdoor drying techniques take 2-3 days, expose the fruit to mold and bacteria, and allow the fruit to oxidize.

Sol Simple’s end product is a sweet-tasting and slightly chewy banana spear.

The benefit of sun-dried bananas, as opposed to the bananas that we get at the stores, is that the fruit is not picked off of the tree as early. This means that it has more time to mature and contains higher level of minerals and vitamins.

Aside from the fact that Sol Simple solar dried bananas are a unique organic product, the story behind the company is very inspirational.

With numerous years of experience in Latin America, Will Burke wanted to start a dried fruit business in Nicaragua that would not only produce healthy snacks but would also benefit impoverished communities in that country.

What is Sol Simple doing now? Among other things, the company:

– Produces a line of organic fruit, nut and coffee products.

– Employs 18 single mothers.

– Sources from 35 different producers whom either have converted to certified organic production or are in transition.

– Works on organic and renewable energy integration development programs in the local area.

– Partners directly with small farmers and helps prepare them for organic inspections.

– Operates the largest solar hybrid dryer in the region.

Two projects in the works include:

(1) designing and funding a bio-digester, a large tank that would dispose of biodegradable waste material and produce methane, which would generate electricity; and

(2) investigating the integration of a vegetable oil converted diesel generator or converted propane/methane generator fueled by Sol Simple’s bio-digester in order to power the company’s processing facility in Nicaragua.

Sol Simple is selling a wonderful organic product and is also making an incredibly meaningful contribution to society.  Awesome job!!

Sol Simple products are available at select Whole Foods and other retail locations.

The video below is in Spanish but you’ll see how clean the factory is and meet some of the single mothers that work at Sol Simple.

A message from E3Live

"My Everyday, Must-Have Green Organic Aquabotanical"

The best testimonial that I can give is that I drink this every single day, as it impacts my mood in an incredibly positive way.

E3Live + BrainON is certified organic, fresh-frozen AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) with a concentrated, aqueous, organic extract of Phenylethylamine and Phycocyanin.

Learn more.

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Organic Insider

Company Stories

The Aftermath of the DARK Act Continues: Dr. Bronner’s and OSGATA Quit the OTA. However, the Organic Farmers Association is Formed

A few months after the DARK Act passed, which many in the industry called a massive betrayal of organic by the Organic Trade Association, the fallout continues.

As I shared the news on Facebook recently, Dr. Bronner’s, one of the leading and most vocal GMO-labeling advocates in the country, has quit the Organic Trade Association in protest.

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A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

Organic Insider

Company Stories

Why Sun+Earth and Brother David’s are So Vital for Organic Stakeholders and Our Planet

David Bronner, the Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s, saw this coming years ago.

With California having legalized cannabis in 2016, he knew that this plant was headed down the path of other agricultural crops — mass industrialization, genetic engineering, enormous energy consumption through fossil fuels, and the displacement of small-scale family farmers.

Where cannabis differs from other agricultural commodities, however, is that there can be no such thing as “organic cannabis” until the federal government stops classifying it as an illegal drug.

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Living Maxwell

Company Stories

Food Chains is a MUST-SEE Movie

When people talk about why they eat organic food, the most common answer is that they don’t want to ingest food that has been sprayed with toxic pesticides. The focus is generally on “me” or “we”.

An answer that does not come up nearly as much as it should is “I don’t want to expose farmers to these toxic pesticides.”

The truth is that most of us are completely in the dark about what takes place on farms, in terms of what kind of chemicals farmers are exposed to and also how farm workers are treated.

A brand new documentary called Food Chains sheds light on this very serious problem and what we see is not pretty.

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