Banania

Banania is a French mark of Chocolat in Poudre, with the receipt imported at the beginning of the 20th century of the South American continent.

History

Pierre Lardet, journalist and founder of the company, discover in a village in the middle of the forest of the Nicaragua in 1912 a made drink of banana flour, of cocoa, cereals and of sugar. On its return in France it deposits the mark and starts the marketing of the product. Banania whereas one of the names is not considered, with Bananose, Bana-Cocoa, Banarica, Bacao or Bananette. This version of the history is disputed. The mark Banania is born on August 31st, 1914, under number 158366. Upon the departure, the company proposes the sides énergisant and reconstituting product. The first publicity, published in 1914 in the newspaper Excelsior , title thus “Banania, intensive overfeeding”.

In 1921, Lardet joins hotel Albert Viallat and together they give a new dash to the mark by strongly developing publicity. The Sepo draftsmen or Vica work thus for Banania in the years 1930. The mark takes part successfully in the international colonial Exposition of 1931. The slogan Y' has good Banania and the Senegalese rifleman become references, inseparable from Banania. In 1938,1.400 tons of Banania are sold each year in France.

The second world war does not slow down the development of the mark and, in spite of the closing of the factory of Courbevoie in June 1940, the production begins again in free zone, close to Limoges.

At the end of the years 1940, T. Elisabeth draws new posters and, in the years 1950, it is Herve Morvan who collaborates in the publicity campaigns of the mark. Jacques Bazaine takes his continuation.

In the years 1950, the company sells 5.000 tons of Banania per annum. In 1968, for the drinking chocolates in France, the market share of Banania amounts to 30% with a volume of sale rising with 10.000 tons. In the years 1970, the factories produce more than 100.000 boxes of 1 kilo and 400.000 boxes of 250 grams Banania. Pierre-Herve Gautier, president de Nutrial, had then as an ambition to capitalize on notoriety and the capital sympathy of one of the most known marks in France.

The advertizing objects Banania, very many, are current objects of collection. Metal thermometers, boxes, posters, display units, key-ring or puzzles for example.

A symbol of colonialism?

The historical Slogan of the mark was until 1977 Y' has good Banania pronounced by an African (more precisely: a Senegalese Rifleman). According to the legend, this slogan would come from a wounded Senegalese rifleman to the face and recruit in the factory from Courbevoie. Tasting the product he would have declared, Y' has good . Some critical consider this slogan as carrying the racist stereotypes which nourished the caricature of the Noir of the time (to smile denied, friends of the children thus large child and incompetent to express itself correctly in a French language which it must handle) and potential symbol of the Colonialisme (just like its mascot " the friend Y' has " good;). Nutrial used this slogan again, which was reproached to him by associations like the Collective of the West-Indians, Guianeses and Réunionnais. In 2006, an agreement was found and the slogan withdrawn again of the derivative products of the mark.

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