Equifruit

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Equifruit

Equifruit is Canada’s leading Fairtrade-certified banana importer. Tired of having Fairtrade bananas dismissed as a nice-idea over a necessary business decision, Equifruit approached TUX for a total rebrand to make their offering something no produce buyers could ignore (or refuse). Tell me more

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Equifruit was growing tired of produce buyers overlooking the importance of carrying bananas that ensured verified, fair pay and safety standards for farmers. Instead, buyers were reverting to age-old practices of buying “cheap” bananas from traditional brands with a history of questionable labor practices.

Determined to make Fairtrade certified bananas the new standard in grocery stores across Canada and the US, Equifruit approached TUX to develop a unique and competitive brand to grow their distribution sales and consequently, increase positive social impact amongst banana farmers.

Our research found that buyers weren’t confident about carrying Equifruit. They believed Equifruit’s current branding and messaging lacked appeal amongst consumers, and, as a result, couldn’t justify the price difference in carrying Fairtrade bananas. TUX chose a unique approach to tackle this B2B problem by using a B2C mindset. If we could make a brand that undeniably connected with consumers, we would grow B2B trust and sales as a result.

We set out to create a brand that nobody could ignore and everybody could buy into.

Inspired by the new communication approach ushered in by Gen Z and Millennials around social and environmental issues, our brand mirrored their style of using humor, cheekiness and transparency to make Fairtrade bananas a desirable and consistent choice. Unlike Equifruit’s traditional competitors, we weren’t looking to create a hyper-polished look and feel for the brand. With consumer trust in corporations tanking, we went for a deliberate lo-fi aesthetic to better connect with today’s youth.

Following the rebrand, in 2021, Equifruit saw a sales increase of 63%.

Buyers have praised Equifruit’s new branding, created by TUX, as one of the most innovative marketing and communication efforts in recent produce history. In retail settings, awareness of Equifruit’s brand has grown by 13% and recognition of Equifruit’s POS displays by 72%.

Equifruit has significantly expanded their distribution, now selling in all Sobeys locations across Ontario, Costcos in the GTA, and Longo’s grocery stores. To meet increased demand, Equifruit has added three new producers to their operations, employing an additional 1,206 vulnerable workers who will now receive equitable pay, safe working conditions and greater funding towards their community projects.

In 2021, over US$400,000 went back to farmers.

"The banana industry has a dark history of colonization, slavery and exploitation. Equifruit has taken an incredibly bold stand by creating a business model that gives power back to farmers as decision makers. As a creative team, we refused to let this brave mission be ignored. We were genuinely obsessed with putting Equifruit on the map."

Stacy Gagnidze, Senior Creative Strategist

"Such a relevant and disruptive project would not have been possible without the trusting and collaborative relationship that has developed between our clients and TUX. Equifruit is a brand that should be in every produce aisle across Canada. Consumers are ripe for change, we just needed to give them an opportunity to make a better choice."

Barbara Caselli, Client Partner