Natural Evolution Foods Banana Flour

Banana flour is gluten-free, packed with minerals and probiotic fibres that boost digestive health. It also has a wholesome earthy flavour. It is the perfect flour for baking and cooking.

Natural Evolution Foods are an Australian family business that practice bio-dynamic farming principals to grow nutrient rich Lady Finger bananas in tropical Far North Queensland. They process these to produce their unique Green Banana Resistant Starch and Green Banana Flour.

Bio-Dynamic Farming

The practice of Bio-dynamics is a holistic approach to growing food that incorporates spirituality and science. Based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, it is widely used in many thriving farms, gardens and vineyards around the world. The method is organic and also takes into consideration the full range of natural ecosystems on and around each farm.

Krista Watkins, co-owner and founder of Natural Evolution Foods, grew up in the banana industry at Walkamin and is a second generation banana farmer. Having seen that the supermarket demand for unblemished bananas is a massive problem for her fellow farmers, Krista and her husband have taken action and created an innovative solution. Their business is the world's first and largest commercial producer of Green Banana Flour and Banana Resistant Starch, which contains a rich source of prebiotic fibre.

To ensure the highest quality product, the family use a biodynamic approach to farming. Biodynamics involves the use of compost made from medicinal herbs and previous crop residue to encourage microbial growth in soil, which is vital for healthy crops. They also do not spray the crops with pesticides, which prevents leaching of chemicals into waterways, preserving the natural ecosystems. In addition, they spray the plants with homeopathic diluted sprays to prepare the crops for harvest and save them from crop fungus.

NutroLock Technology

Taking inspiration from the wild pigs and cattle that were once known to knock down fences to access discarded bananas, husband and wife team Rob and Krista Watkins set about finding a way to use their excess bananas. Their solution is a world-first invention, transforming unripe bananas into a range of delicious products including green banana flour.

A Gold Edison award winner and 2018 AgriFutures Rural Women’s award recipient, Ms Watkins has a deep understanding of the importance of reducing food waste at the farm gate. She explains that ripe bananas contain sugar, fructose and sucrose, as well as 5HTP (Hydroxytryptophan), which is the precursor for serotonin. This naturally occurring amino acid is an essential building block of the human brain and body.

However, it is the resistant starch in unripe bananas that holds the most powerful health properties. The couple’s patented NutroLock Technology is a natural, cold, raw and gentle process that turns a whole banana into powder within minutes. It has proven to preserve up to 50 times more of the original nutrient content than other processing techniques.

In addition to their Green Banana Flour made from nutrient-rich Lady Finger bananas grown on their family farm in Walkamin, Atherton Tablelands, Ms Watkins’s latest innovation is GUTHEALTH+, a prebiotic and probiotic blend that optimises gut health. She believes the key to health is our diet, which is why her team is focused on growing and developing foods that are good for you.

Gluten-Free

Gluten-free is becoming a popular lifestyle choice for people without celiac disease or intolerance. However, it is important to be aware of the hidden gluten in many packaged foods. For example, soy sauce contains gluten (unless it is labeled as GF), as do some soups and stews made from flour or a roux as a base/thickener. Additionally, some dietary supplements and medications contain gluten, so they must be avoided if you are going gluten-free.

According to Future Market Insights, global demand for green banana flour will continue to grow due to the rising popularity of gluten-free diets and consumer awareness. The growing demand for healthy food products and clean labels also drive the growth of this market.

Natural Evolution Foods uses bio-dynamic farming principles to grow nutrient rich Lady Finger bananas using their patent-pending NutroLock technology in Tropical Far North Queensland. Their products are free from chemical pesticides and fertilisers, and enriched with prebiotic fibre-resistant starch for gut health.

Choosing a gluten-free diet is not only good for your digestive system, but it can also help you to lose weight and feel healthier. It is important to check with your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet. If you are avoiding gluten, it is important to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans and grains to get all the nutrients you need.

Sustainable

Sustainability is a principle of managing natural and human resources to meet current and future needs. This requires responsible use of land, water, energy and other materials on farms and stewardship of the natural resource base on which the agricultural economy depends. Sustainable farming is not only a way to ensure the quality of food, but also to preserve and enhance the environment and promote economic viability for farmers.

After years of seeing discarded bananas sent to waste, Krista Watkins, a second-generation farmer, and her husband, Rob, founded their family business Natural Evolution Foods. They are the world’s first and largest commercial producer of green banana flour and resistant starch. The nutrient-packed product is made from bio dynamically grown, chemical and pesticide free, green Cavendish bananas from Tropical Far North Queensland, Australia.

Krista will share her journey from banana farmer to food manufacturer and the ways that other primary producers can find new markets for their produce at the Asia Pacific Food Safety Conference – the region’s leading event for retail, agriculture, food processing and food-service professionals. Using a design-led mindset and process, she developed her company to create value from the excess bananas that would otherwise go to waste.