Featured Customer: The Banana Bungee, LLC
Tell us a little about your company:
The Banana Bungee LLC was founded in 2016 shortly after I conceived the initial design. The inspiration for the design came following a request from my wife Paulette. We were both avid road cyclists at the time and bananas were a staple on the road and in the house. Paulette was also heavily focused on decluttering the kitchen counters. One fateful day, she requested something to get the bananas off the kitchen counter. Not long after that request while grocery shopping, which included replenishing the bananas, I started to purchase a classic wire fruit basket with a banana hook. These particular baskets were on a shelf right behind the bananas at our local grocer (HEB). After initially placing the fruit basket in my grocery cart, I reflected on the size and the objective. I quickly realized that this purchase would be adding to the kitchen counter clutter.
What makes your product unique?
The first goal for creating the Banana Bungee was rooted in a desire to satisfy my wife’s immediate goal (i.e. get the bananas off the counter). As banana lovers, we know that bananas are a fast-ripening fruit. Right? As the product developed, we started consuming information, learning more about consumer needs and the ripening process of bananas. We learned about common banana storage methods and bad handling techniques. There are plenty of different banana holders on the market. In addition to the plethora of banana holders or hooks in the market, there are plenty of bad practices that negatively impact or speed up the ripening process of bananas. We identified a design gap in the market and the need to increase awareness. The education became a natural progression as we designed our unique yet very functional banana holder which integrates bungee cord into the product.
The Banana Bungee’s USA patented, integrated, bungee-cord design creates a flexible alterative to rigid hook designs. Rigid designs and banana fruit laying bare on counter tops or within a fruit bowl actually promotes over-handling. After more than 3,600 ‘actual customer’ reviews, we are confident our banana holder reduces handling and extends the ripening process. And… our sturdy, well-crafter design made in the USA can suspend multiple bunches of bananas easily. This also differentiates our design from the typical banana hook. We got the last banana covered too!
How do you package your products and what ClearBagsⓇ products do you use?
Today we use a clear hanging box. Our strategy from the beginning was to pick a single package that could serve multiple functions. We wanted to be able to ship and potentially have the box ready for in-store presentations. We found a great partner in ClearBags that matched us up ClearBags, HFB220, Hanging Soft Fold Box. We then transitioned to a custom box with our logo, which is a 1 1/2” x 1 1/4” x 5,12mil PVC Soft Fold Hanging Box. We are still using both of these products eight (8) years later!
Where do you sell your products?
The bulk of our sales come via Amazon where we have amassed 3,600 reviews. However, you can also find us via our Banana Bungee webstore. Additionally, our unique banana holder has a presence on most all e-commerce sites such as Walmart, Etsy, and Ebay. You will find us in the kitchen, kitchen storage, and kitchen storage and organization categories. We are still, one day, looking to match with a great big box store! When the time is right-we will be there.
How long have you been working with ClearBagsⓇ products do you use? and how does ClearBagsⓇ products do you use? help you succeed?
We found a great partner in ClearBags from the very beginning. In 2016 we were looking for the right packaging product for the Banana Bungee. Denae Horneman and all the personnel at ClearBags have been on board. Denae listened to our needs, supplied samples quickly and ultimately matched us up ClearBags’ Hanging Soft Fold Box. As mentioned, we also utilize the ClearBags, custom PVC Soft Fold Hanging Box with our logo.
When it came to designing our custom box, we were walked through the entire special projects process to get it designed. A really smooth process! The smart logistical locations within the country have also helped with timely delivery of our boxes. We relied very heavily on this arrange during the 2020 COVID crunch!
What one piece of packaging advice would you give to other business owners?
Always have your shipping model in mind when you think about packaging design. Sure, we are always thinking about final presentation. Give good up-front thought to how you see shipping your product. Plan for success! When you start shipping in bulk, you will want to have a plan for bundling, boxing and shipping your product efficiently!
