Coral Gables, Florida (PRWEB) November 03, 2014
As a part of its mission to grow smiles and share goodness, Turbana once again participated in the Marine Corps Marathon as the official banana sponsor and composting partner. This is the fourth year the premier banana producer partnered with the marathon. Working with the Marines year after year and experiencing the passion the runners carry inspired Turbana to bring the “Powered by the Peel” initiative and Turbana’s on ground participation to the marathon that was on October 26. Always compelled to do more than just donate bananas, Turbana yet again, showed its full admiration for the Marines, runners and volunteers at the marathon by cheering them on starting far before the race and beyond the finish line.
“Powered by the Peel” fueled runners weeks before the race when Turbana and the Marine Corps Marathon, together, invited runners to voice their motivations to run on social media in order to share and inspire others. Together with the Marine Corps Marathon, Turbana selected 15 of the empowering social media messages, contributed by the runners, which were displayed along the 26.2-mile course. Also, Turbana partnered with 15 local hotels where out of town participants were welcomed with a “Turbana Power Pack” upon check-in. These are packaged in a drawstring backpack and filled with motivational sentiments and a special stress reliever shaped as a Turbana banana to inspire the runners. Turbana’s street team was in the city the morning of the race looking out for runners who seem a bit chilly to provide them with hand warmers to let them know Turbana was there with them.
As runners crossed the finish line Marines congratulated them and helped them re-fuel with 30,000 Turbana bananas. At the Finish Festival, Turbana’s “Powered by the Peel” street team congratulated runners and satisfied their craving for salt with 7,500 bags of Turbana plantain chips. The bananas and chips replaced electrolytes, sodium and other nutrients that the runners lost while running the marathon. Turbana’s street team didn’t stop there; they gave out hugs, high-fives, and always smiles.
“The Turbana team has been moved time and time again by the emotions that the Marines and runners infuse into this community event. This is why we went above and beyond traditional sponsorship at the Marine Corps Marathon,” says Marion Tabard, director of marketing at Turbana. “We wanted the runners to feel supported throughout the entire weekend while we encouraged them to unpeel their power. It felt great to be with them every step of their 26.2 mile journey.”
As a pioneer in sustainability and social consciousness, Turbana presented the 200,000 people that attended the Marine Corps Marathon with the option of composting. In order to ensure that all of the banana peels would be discarded in a responsible way, Turbana felt compelled to work with the Marine Corps Marathon and the city of Washington D.C. to bring a composting program to the marathon and to donate the compost that is made at the Finish Festival. Runners, spectators and volunteers were encouraged to compost their banana peels at the Finish Festival for the second year in a row. At the Finish Festival, Turbana educated people on the importance of composting as they passed out bananas. Aligning with Turbana’s philanthropic roots, all of the fresh bananas that were leftover after the event were donated to local food banks. Turbana takes pride in using an active and highly involved approach in working with its communities to affect positive change.
“Turbana approached the MCM with innovative ideas to enhance the experience of the participants. The composting program that Turbana initiated last year really resonated with the participants as smart and responsible. Turbana’s involvement at the MCM is always growing in bigger and better ways and this year is a testament to that,” says Marc Goldman marketing manager of the Marine Corps Marathon.
Turbana’s “Powered by the Peel” campaign encouraged what Turbana practices everyday, growing smiles and sharing goodness. Since the company’s inception in 1970, its philosophy has been that its success depends on the well being of its communities. Turbana sees it as an honor to support the military, their families and their communities.
About Turbana
Established in 1970, Turbana Corporation is a leading importer of produce in North America, including, bananas, plantains, pineapples, and ethnic tropicals. Turbana is proud to have been the first organization to bring Fair Trade Certified bananas to North America. A pioneer in sustainability and social consciousness, Turbana has developed the farming communities in the banana and plantain-growing regions over the past 44 years through its social foundation, Fundauniban. Turbana gives a portion of every purchase to Fundauniban, contributing to the $250 Million the foundation has invested in social and economic projects for education, housing, infrastructure, and environmental protection since 1987. Additionally, Turbana invests in its communities across the US, helping them build sustainable and healthy practices. Turbana is owned by Uniban, the world’s largest grower-owned banana company and the world’s largest producer of Fair Trade Certified bananas and plantains, and Fyffes, one of the largest produce importers and distributors in Europe. For additional information, please visit, http://www.turbana.com.