About gebana

We are a pioneer in the field of fair trade. During the 1970s, an active group of women from Frauenfeld in Switzerland fought hard for fair working conditions among banana producers and greater awareness of European consumers. So were laid the foundations for the gebana of today. The women became known as the “banana ladies” and the group later developed into “gebana”: German for “fair traded bananas” (gerechter Bananenhandel).

Ursula Brunner, founder of the banana ladies and gebana

In 1998, the many contacts with small farmers in Latin America, on the one hand, and consumers in Europe, on the other, provided the foundation to form gebana ltd.. Soya produced by small farmers in Brazil and guaranteed to be free of genetic engineering was the first and, until today, the most important gebana product. More products followed including, dried fruit from West Africa, dates from Tunisia and olive oil from Palestine.

Today gebana has an established local presence in Brazil, West Africa and Tunisia. Through personal interaction, specific needs are defined and market-driven solutions explored. This process yields innovative products of the highest quality and also mutual trust: the most important gebana resource. The organisation considers itself to be a bridge between the family farms of the “South” and European consumers.

Since 2003, gebana has regularly received the highest distinction of “highly recommended” from the WWF and the Foundation for Consumer Protection.