It went like this:
We're really happy that you tried and seemed to enjoy Banana Babies, their taste and nutrition and their ability to generate a great deal of fun!
Sincerely,
Bob Carmody
Owner, Diana's Bananas, Inc.
PS: We're in grocery stores all over the U.S.
I think I may have blacked out in my chair for a few seconds.
Unlike some of my lovely readers, looking at you, Blue Violet, I don't receive stuff in the mail to review. That has actually never happened. And rightfully so. I only write a review once a week and it has to be something that I found in the commissary. I'm not all that shocked that my daily mail consists of Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons and water bills. But I was shocked that the owner of Diana's Bananas, Mr. Bob Carmody, actually sat down and took time out of his day to comment on my blog. Y'all know I'm a freak about customer service. Fifteen years in the customer service business will do that to a person. And I have to say, even though I don't much care for bananas in general, Diana's Bananas just moved WAY up on my Things I Love list.
I am slightly chagrined by the way I reviewed Banana Babies because I did not really think anyone of any real significance to the company would read it. I was just making some honest statements about the taste, the look...which, really, can't be ignored by someone like me. Or, apparently, any of you. And not being one to believe everything I read, I decided to Google Mr. Bob Carmody...just to see if he really was who he said he was.
This is Bob Carmody:
via Bob Carmody's LinkedIn profile First of all, he's in a flight suit standing in front of an aircraft that looks like something that flies over my house on an hourly basis. As someone who lives less than a mile from the landing strip at Robins AFB, I am so squealy that Mr. Bob Carmody is in a flight suit. I have no idea why...his profile indicates that he's been in the food production industry for most of his life. But it makes me happy.
And yes, it does list him as the owner of Diana's Bananas, "World's Best Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas."
So, now that Mr. Carmody has invested a little time in Magnolias & Mimosas, please allow Magnolias & Mimosas to invest a little more time in Mr. Carmody. (And for the record, when I Googled him, it returned many links for bloggers that had reviewed his product and he had, in turn, commented on their post. I simply love it when a business owner understands social media and refuses to shrug it off as a trend.)
According to Diana's Bananas Facebook page, the company was founded on a whim, as most good companies are. In the mid-80's, Mr. Carmody was hosting a booth at The Taste of Chicago (which I've been to, uh....a few years after the mid-80's...and I would highly recommend it). He began to think about the idea of freezing a fresh, ripe banana and then bathing it in their chocolatier-grade melted bar chocolate. Then he says, "We each took a bite and passed it around. Our taste buds leapt for joy...and we sprung into action."
I love it when a man uses the phrase "leapt for joy." You don't hear it often.
He goes on to say, "Our team personally selects only fully ripe, creamy, sweet ripe bananas, which we quick freeze to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. The result is an easy-to-bite banana with texture so smooth, you'll think you're eating ice cream."
I think the commissary keeps their coolers a little too chilly because I didn't get creamy...I got sort of icy...but that's the military for you. Everything is just a little to the extreme.
Mr. Carmody also pointed out that they are available in grocery stores all over the country, although none of you have seen Diana's Bananas. So, please use this store locator link on the company's website to find the one closest to you if you're all frothy at the mouth right now for a frozen, dipped banana.
So, thank you, Mr. Carmody for putting your product in the commissary (you clearly have some link to the military...5 stars for that!) and good luck to you and Diana's Bananas....although you seem to be making your own luck and spinning your own success, one blog at a time. Bloggers have big mouths and big opinions. Kudos to you for taking advantage of it!
And seriously....chocolatier-grade melted bar chocolate and raspberries?? I have it on good authority that raspberries are the new banana....
