1.28.2008

Marketing the "Banana"

Hello friends. We still can’t believe we live in Rincon. Last week, we took a day to go snorkeling at Steps — a legendary beach which got its name from the set of steps that clings to the beach — and it was postcard perfect. Crystal clear waters on a bed of coral with lots of fish — like swimming in an aquarium. This week, a 15-ft. swell hit Puntas; tomorrow should be offshore, 3 ft. overhead with great shape. And every day when we go downstairs to Banana Dang to make our first latte, it’s Nirvana. I still can’t get over the fact that this is my JOB.

On the marketing front—if there’s one thing we can rely on in Rincon, it’s Word of Mouth. We’ve been opened for 2 months and feel lucky to have a lot of regulars frequent our place. We did manage to do “real” advertising in local paper El Coqui (see ad)—otherwise, it’s about the word. The “Banana” also got on the map by the Tourism Association of Rincon and graphic-wise, we’ve been commissioned to design the 1st Annual Rincon International Film Festival happening April 22-26. We're also donating community time to design the 11th Annual St. Patty’s Day Poster benefiting ARF—Animal Rescue Foundation — and DANG art will be featured in Artistic Invisions Gallery.

Inside the shop, we hooked up with Uncharted Studio to silk screen our new American Apparel T-shirts for Women and 100% Organic Tees for Men. Our Café Press store is now open and features bibs to cups emblazoned with the beloved Banana.

Food-wise, we're excited to announce that Banana Dang now serves Banana Bread. After all, it’s only fitting that we have banana bread! They’re yummy and locally baked by "mompreneur" Robin. We also elevated our “Eggspresso” Paninis to feature Italian Focaccia — a great alternative to garlic bread with lots of herbs – and debut our feature drink this month — "Mango Lassi" – a traditional North Indian beverage blend of mangos, yogurt, milk and honey. Kind of like a cross between a smoothie and a milkshake. One of our biggest sellers is also our "Organic Granola Cereal with Hemp" sold in stacked Chinese food cartons. We even offer extra hemp for those in the know.

What is the biggest challenge of owning a food business in Puerto Rico? One word. Inventory. You basically have to order 3-4 weeks ahead for everything – not coffee — but everything else...condensed milk, soy, teas, peanut butter, cereal, etc. Even bananas don’t get stocked in the market on a weekly basis! Things travel s-l-o-w-l-y here and everything requires patience. After all, it’s the price of paradise.

Con Amor, T2 + Mario