From Tropics to Norway: Mastering the Art of Banana Ripening with Proba 5

BAMA boasts a history spanning nearly 140 years. In 1886, Christian Matthiessen began trading tropical timber. By 1905, he had started importing bananas into Scandinavia, becoming the first distributor of these tropical fruits in all of Scandinavia.

Fast forward to 2024, and BAMA supplies fruits and vegetables across Europe to supermarkets, restaurants, and cafeterias with the biggest market Norway. With over 3,000 employees, the company generates almost two billion euros in revenue. 

BAMA’s mission is crystal clear: to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables, contributing to a healthy and fresh future.

Going the extra mile: Proba 5 translated into Norwegian

Martin Jungblom has worked at BAMA since 2012, but he had no prior experience with bananas. In 2016, the company decided to build a large new ripening facility, and Martin became its manager. 
The new ripening facility provided a unique opportunity to work with the most advanced ripening controller: the Proba 5 by VDH.

“We already had positive experiences with VDH and the Proba 4, so the choice was obvious. Additionally, VDH was willing to go the extra mile: they translated the system specifically for our team into Norwegian, significantly increasing the accessibility of the control technology. That says a lot about how customer-focused VDH is.”

Ripening starts in the tropics

Banana ripening is a fascinating process, Martin explains. It begins long before the bananas arrive in Oslo.

Martin jokes:

“If all bananas were the same, Jacco Smid and I would probably have been out of business a long time ago. But they’re all different. We have to consider many variables. First, there’s the place of origin: are they from Costa Rica, Colombia, or Ecuador? Then there’s the weather before and during the harvest—was it dry or rainy? The conditions during transport also matter, as it’s a long journey by ship from the tropics to Norway. Anything can happen along the way.” 

A balance between humans and technology

The real excitement begins once the bananas are placed in the ripening chambers. This is when the interplay between human senses and the technology of the Proba 5 controller takes centre stage. 

Ripeners visit the chambers daily. They check the colour, feel if the peel is loose or tight, and taste the bananas; after all, it’s all about flavour.

 “This is how they determine wheth er a program is on track or if adjustments are needed. It’s incredibly easy because the Proba 5 interface is extremely user-friendly. What the ripener observes in the chamber can be translated into controller data with just a few clicks. 

I don’t use the word ‘excellent’ lightly, but the Proba 5 is truly exceptional. Especially when it comes to analysing ripening recipes, it provides us with valuable insights that allow us to continuously improve our processes. It’s great for both quality and efficiency.”  

Friendly, Open, and Professional

BAMA’s collaboration with VDH predates Martin Jungblom’s tenure as ripening manager, and he knows why the relationship is so strong:

“We prefer VDH because their systems work well and because their customer service is outstanding. The Proba 5 is incredibly stable; I don’t think we’ve ever experienced downtime caused by the system—not by the software and not by the hardware. That gives us a lot of confidence.” 

Martin is equally enthusiastic about VDH’s customer service.

“The people at VDH are friendly, open, and professional. They respond quickly and effectively to our feedback and regularly implement improvements based on our ideas. That’s the main reason we choose VDH, now and in the future.”