This man knows bananas: it’s Ken “The Top Banana” Bannister, founder of the International Banana Club and Museum and lifetime Chiquita chomper (he eats one banana a day, every day). We read about his banana exploits and had to know more: Ken was kind enough to share his story and enthusiasm with Chiquita, and we're here to pass that on to you all, starting with this first post in a series on the International Banana Club, Museum, and activities.
So how did the banana, or in Ken’s words, “the bright, yellow, elongated edible fruit from a herbaceous plant that comes in the shape of a smile if you hold it properly,” come to be a lifetime passion? It started with a roll of stickers, and it succeeded through the power of smiles!
How It All Got Started: An Idea That “Stuck”
In 1972, Ken Bannister was the vice president of a photographic equipment company when his secretary gave him a roll of 10,000 Chiquita banana stickers, which she got from her husband who worked unloading bananas from a nearby dock. “If anyone would know what to do with these, you would, Ken,” she said, and she was right: Ken decided he would take them on his next business trip. “The first step in the sales process is to get attention,” he explains, “and the stickers did just that.” Ken started taking Chiquita stickers to every trade show, placing the stickers on the tip of his finger and tastefully offering them to attendees who would place them on their event badges. This would cause people to smile and would increase sales, both for Ken and for the people with the stickers on their badges. Little did Ken know, this tradition was just the beginning…
It's Official: The International Banana Club is Born
International Banana Club Logo
As a result of his success and reputation for giving out his smile-causing stickers at trade shows, colleagues and friends started sending Ken banana-related items. The Professional Photographers of Orange County was the first of many organizations and individuals to reciprocate Ken’s commitment to good-natured fun with banana-esque gifts, presenting him with a 3-foot-long banana-shaped plaque (adorned with more bananas, of course) in recognition of his efforts to induce more smiles and laughter in the photo industry. Just as the Professional Photographers Association rewarded Ken with merits that counted toward a Photographic Craftsman Degree, Ken decided to reward banana-lovers with Banana Merits, or B.M.s for short. Ken founded the International Banana Club so that people could keep the fun going, and the smiles and banana gifts kept coming in, too.
Banana Fans, Stay Tuned
Part II of this series is coming soon, so check back to find out how Ken Bannister and his fun-loving bunch of banana fans made the International Banana Club what it is today: 30,000 members strong, 37 countries wide, and still a whole lot of fun!
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