MEET JENNIE COLEMAN
Entrepreneur. Banana Badass-in-chief. Speaker on responsible sourcing and values-led business growth.
Jennie Coleman is the President and co-owner of Equifruit, North America's leading Fairtrade banana brand. She bought a business she knew nothing about, grew it in one of grocery's most price-driven categories, and built it on a model the industry said wouldn't work.
On stage: Jennie brings two kinds of expertise. One is an insider's view of how sourcing and pricing decisions shape global supply chains. The other is a founder's account of building a company when your values challenge the status quo. Whether you're running an industry conference or a business and leadership event, Jennie brings humour, candour and stories straight from the negotiating table.
WHY THIS MATTERS
THE CHEAP BANANA PARADOX
Bananas are one of the most price-sensitive categories in grocery retail. They are also one of the most globally exposed.
THE HIDDEN COSTS
Pricing pressure in this category affects:
● Long-term supplier stability
● Disease prevention and crop resilience
● Labour conditions and migration patterns
● Brand reputation and public scrutiny
● ESG reporting and compliance risk
EVERYONE IS WATCHING
In today’s retail environment, supply chains are no longer invisible. Consumers, investors, and regulators are paying attention.
CHOOSE YOUR TALK
Two keynotes carrying two distinct promises, with bananas featuring both. In the first, the banana industry is the main topic, and in the second, it becomes the proving ground for lessons any business leader can use.
What cheap bananas conceal, and what you can do about it.
Ideal for: Grocery and produce professionals; sourcing, procurement and sustainability teams; food-systems audiences.
Your audience leaves able to: Make sourcing decisions that support fairer, more sustainable production.
Building a successful business when your values challenge the status quo.
Ideal for: CEOs, entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership teams; entrepreneurship and women's leadership events.
Your audience leaves able to: Turn convictions into business decisions and keep going through resistance.
Beyond keynotes, Jennie joins panels, fireside chats, executive roundtables and moderated conversations. She contributes with direct industry experience, clarity on complex systems, and a grounded perspective designed to resonate with senior decision-makers.
These sessions allow for a deeper exploration of topics within:
Business and leadership
-Entrepreneurship and growing a values-led business
-Leading with integrity under commercial pressure
-Overcoming resistance from customers, competitors and industry norms
-Women's experiences in business and leadership
-Leading cultural change inside established industries
Food systems and responsible sourcing
-Banana economics and the true cost of cheap
-Navigating price pressure in competitive retail environments
-Fairtrade and ethical sourcing in practice
-Responsible procurement in competitive retail
-How retail prices shape conditions on farms
She is particularly well-suited for: retail leadership summits, board-level discussions, ESG and sustainability forums, produce and grocery industry conferences, and women in leadership panels.
THE BANANA BADASS RUNNING THE SHOW
Jennie Coleman has been President and co-owner of Equifruit since 2013. After leaving the corporate world, she took over a business she knew nothing about and built it into North America's leading Fairtrade banana brand, and one of grocery's most persistent voices for responsible sourcing. Under her leadership, Equifruit has been named one of Canada's Top Growing Companies four years running.
Her expertise spans both sides of her work. As an entrepreneur, she has grown a company by competing on values in a category defined by price. As a sourcing specialist, she unpacks how pricing pressure, certification standards and retail buying decisions ripple through supply chains, making complex systems easy to follow without stripping out the nuance.
Jennie serves on the boards of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) and Banana Link. Her recognitions include the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award (2024), Canada's Most Admired CEOs by Waterstone Human Capital (2024), Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by the Women's Executive Network (2025), and Canadian Grocer's Star Women in Grocery (2025). She is based in Montreal and speaks in English and French [confirm] across North America and internationally.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Jennie has transformed the banana industry by proving that business can be both profitable and principled. Through ethical sourcing and fair trade practices, she’s redefining what responsible leadership looks like.”
“Jennie left the corporate world, took a leap of faith, and bought a business she knew nothing about. But her story isn’t just about business. It’s about family, and humanity, and someone who sees beyond profit to a higher purpose.”
“A passionate entrepreneur driven by a desire to use business as a mechanism for poverty alleviation and community development. She leads her team with the vision of achieving “Global Fairtrade Banana Domination”.”
FEATURED IN
ACTIVELY IN THE ROOM WITH
WHERE SHE'S BEEN SEEN
LEADERSHIP IS TESTED LONG BEFORE THE SPOTLIGHT
Bananas are among the most visible items in a grocery store, and among the most globally connected. Their price has barely moved in decades, which makes it one of the clearest records we have of the decisions leaders make when they're under pressure.
Following that pressure back through the supply chain, retail leaders begin to see where resilience thins, which suppliers absorb risk on someone else's behalf, leadership character, and the gap between what a company says it stands for and what it's willing to pay for.
Jennie Coleman brings a grounded, industry-informed perspective to conversations that matter, on the true cost of “cheap," who pays for it, and on the courage it takes to create a culture built to withstand its market’s pressure. Her work leaves leaders with a sharper vision, inviting them to reflect clearly not only about what they stand for, but what they have made normal.