Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City the Bronx Banana Ripening Facility
Gastro Obscura

Banana Ripening Facility

Despite not growing anywhere near New York City, bananas are ripened in a pressurized room in the Bronx using precise banana science.

Bronx, New York

Added By
saaghyo
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Banana Ripening Facility   Nicola Twilley
Banana Ripening Facility   Nicola Twilley
Banana Ripening Facility   Nicola Twilley
Banana Ripening Facility   Anna Minster / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Bananas are one of the most consumed foods in all the world, and the U.S. definitely eats their share. Despite the huge market, the states have very limited areas that possess the tropical climate necessary to produce the perfect banana, and they must be imported from far away lands.

The majority of bananas eaten in the U.S. are cultivated in South America, but the fruit is picked long before it has matured, so it can survive its lengthy travels to its less tropical destinations. This is where the secret life of the banana begins, and for many, it begins in the Bronx.

This New York borough is not exactly the place that comes to mind when you think “tropical and fruity”. It is however the home of one of four banana ripening facilities that ship out of New York, sending millions of boxes a year of sweet, yellow bananas to the masses. At any given time, the Banana Distributors of New York on Drake Street may have up to 20, 000 cases of bananas in the building.

To achieve maximum sweetness and desired ripeness from the hard, green, refrigerated fruit that has traveled so far, the bananas must be “tricked” into continuing their ripening process once it has been tampered with by early picking and extended refrigeration. When the bananas reach the facility, the ripening process is kick-started in pressurized, temperature- and atmosphere-controlled rooms that convince the fruit it's back in its sunny, humid home, and not in a warehouse on the East Coast. There are seven controlled stages of ripening, each stage closely monitored, so that wholesale customers can get exactly what their particular market prefers.

The process is a delicate science, with the rooms able to ripen a banana to perfection in 5 days at a precise 64 degrees, and over a 24-hour period, each roomful is gassed with ethylene, which is produced in a steady stream from generators. Ethylene, a highly flammable plant hormone, was the cause of many banana ripening room deaths in the earlier days of the injection technology, when explosions of ripening rooms were commonplace.

Banana Ripening Facilities are not usually open to the public, but tours are often granted to "students" or persuasive curiosity seekers.

Related Tags

Shops Horticulture Fruit Bananas Plants

Community Contributors

Added By

saaghyo

Edited By

raymondwinn1941, Anna Minster, Rachel

  • raymondwinn1941
  • Anna Minster
  • Rachel

Published

June 5, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  •  http://pruned.blogspot.com/2011/12/artificial-cyrosphere-of-bananas-and.html
  • http://www.ediblegeography.com/spaces-of-banana-control/
Banana Ripening Facility
750 Drake St. Bronx
Bronx, New York, 10474
United States
40.816314, -73.88269
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Concrete Plant Park

Bronx, New York

miles away

Westchester Avenue Station

Bronx, New York

miles away

North Brother Island

Bronx, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bronx

Bronx

New York

Places 31
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Concrete Plant Park

Bronx, New York

miles away

Westchester Avenue Station

Bronx, New York

miles away

North Brother Island

Bronx, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bronx

Bronx

New York

Places 31
Stories 3

Related Stories and Lists

Why Is There Just One Top Banana?

food

By Alex Mayyasi

Related Places

  • The view when you dine within the greenhouse.

    Reykholt, Iceland

    Friðheimar

    Inside this Icelandic greenhouse, geothermal energy keeps tomatoes warm and growing.

  • A rejuvenated Mother Tree in June 2012.

    Oroville, California

    Mother Orange Tree

    The oldest orange tree in California spawned a generation of citrus farmers.

  • The Kampong, Miami, Florida

    Miami, Florida

    The Kampong

    This beautiful Miami garden was designed as a laboratory for tropical plants.

  • Casa Popeno’s main garden

    Antigua, Guatemala

    Casa Popenoe

    This restored colonial house was once home to the botanist responsible for bringing avocados to the U.S.

  • Duck pond

    Los Angeles, California

    Historic Orange Grove

    The last orange grove of the San Fernando Valley is owned and protected by CSU Northridge.

  • Artist’s rendering of The Plant

    Chicago, Illinois

    The Plant

    Former meatpacking facility turned vertical farm and sustainable business complex.

  • Chester Township, New Jersey

    Telephone Pole Farm

    A farm in New Jersey grew a most unusual crop for AT&T's testing purposes.

  • Lemon Grove, California

    The Giant Lemon of Lemon Grove

    The Giant Lemon of Lemon Grove.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.