Slovenia:

Slovenia is a Banana Producer - Thanks to Geothermal (rtvslo.si)

(Courtesy Ocean Orchids)

Slovenia’s eastern Prekmurje has long been known as the country’s agricultural heartland. But in recent years, some Slovenian stores have begun to offer an unusual Prekmurje-grown product: bananas.

The tropical fruit is grown in greenhouses operated by Ocean Orchids. The company, founded by a team of entrepreneurs with experience working in Dutch greenhouses, began growing orchids and other exotic flowers in their extensive geothermal facilities near the village of Dobrovnik. Their gamble paid off and the flowers turned out to be an export success. With more than a million orchids being sold each year, Ocean Orchids turned its gaze to tropical fruit.

In 2009, the company introduced the first Slovenian-grown bananas to the market. The seedlings were bought in the Netherlands, and in the favorable environment of the greenhouse, the banana plants grew to maturity within fifteen months. When the bananas hit supermarket shelves, the first locally grown tropical fruit in Slovenia was an immediate success.

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