Let’s go bananas!
Meet the UM alumni who combine their work with an extracurricular activity such as a special hobby, a creative project or even their own company. Today we look behind the scenes at Banana Business, which has developed a new food product derived from banana peels. One of the founders is Minke ter Hedde, bachelor’s graduate of the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience and master’s student at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences. Here she discusses food waste, her plans for the future and — of course — bananas.
It all started during a group assignment of the master’s in Health Food Innovation Management. “The assignment was to set up our own company related to food or nutrition. We decided to focus on the residual waste [the parts of waste that are not recycled or used –Ed.] of the banana. After all, bananas are very popular in the Netherlands, but the peel is often still thrown away. That’s not just a pity, but also unnecessary.”
“The product we developed, derived from banana peel, is called ‘Pulled Peel’. You can use it as a meat substitute or a topping, or add it to a wrap or flammkuchen. With Pulled Peel we prevent food waste while also providing our customers — mainly flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans — with a tasty, nutritious and completely vegan product. How exactly do we marinate and prepare it? I’ll keep that a secret for the time being ...”
Minke ter Hedde graduated in 2018 from the bachelor’s in Psychology at Maastricht University. During her studies she was drawn to health-related themes, and decided to follow the pre-master’s and master’s in Health Food Innovation Management at UM. As part of her master’s, Ter Hedde is doing an internship at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht, where she also works as a hostess. If that weren’t enough, she is co-founder of the company Banana Business. www.nl.bananabusiness.com
Collaborations and serving tips
“During the project period, we received a lot of positive feedback from consumers and investors; for example, we won the pitch competition linked to the group assignment. But it was later that Banana Business really gained momentum. Last year we came into contact with the Dutch banana grower NederBanaan, who was keen to work with us. The partnership came into effect at the start of 2021, and this summer we’ll produce the first large batch of Pulled Peel!”
“We’ve had a lot of great experiences in recent months. We recorded a promotional video in a professional cooking studio, and we’re working on new recipes, serving tips, measurements of nutritional values and blogs. But for me, the best thing so far was our very first cooking session. It was held in a beautiful castle, and everything we’d worked so hard for suddenly came together.”
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A new vision of nutrition
‘‘In addition to Banana Business, I’m doing the master’s in Health Food Innovation Management, including an internship at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht. I’m studying how changes in our sense of smell and taste following chemotherapy affect quality of life, sensory processing and eating behaviour. After my internship I’ll stay on for a few months to support the research. Which is no bad thing: I find the place and the subject very interesting, and I look forward to seeing further progress. I also really like Utrecht — though it took some getting used to, after more than five years in Maastricht.”
“After that, I’ll look for a cool job where I can contribute to nutrition and health in a hospital perhaps, or with children. And who knows what will happen with Banana Business! I'm really looking forward to the official launch this summer. It’s important that companies like Banana Business attract attention, because they can help to bring about a new vision of nutrition and food waste. Maybe we’ll be able to use other types of residual waste in the future? Whatever happens, I can’t wait to keep working on this!”
The following students are involved in Banana Business: Minke ter Hedde and Simone Borm (alumni of the UM Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience), Joëlle van Wissen (alum of University College Venlo), Daphne Groot (alum of Wageningen University) and Marit Aardema (alum of HAS University of Applied Sciences). The group will soon graduate from the master’s in Health Food Innovation Management at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences.
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