Bananas are picked green and then loaded aboard the Compagnie Fruitiere ships. During the voyage the oxygen in the storage areas is reduced which better protects this fragile fruit.

Upon arrival at the destination port the green bananas are discharged from the vessel and transported to large warehouses called ripening centres. The fruit is stored until it reaches maturity before being finally sold.

During the ripening process the banana starch is converted into sugar, and chlorophyll will gradually disappear. The colour of the bananas will gradually change from green to yellow. Depending upon the colour demands of the final customer (Supermarkets & wholesale) the process takes between 4 to 6 days.