The Los Angeles, California-based company Barnana Snacks has acquired its Latin American supply and manufacturing partner, Agroapoyo, based in Quito, Ecuador. The company says the move aims to reinforce its commitment to organic farmers and build on the relationship it has established.

“We owe our success to the small farmers, many of whom are indigenous to the Amazon, who grow top-quality organic bananas and plantains using regenerative practices that rebuild and restore soil biodiversity,” says Caue Suplicy, founder of Barnana. “As our business expands, we want to share our success with our fruit growers and help transition more farmers to using these methods.”

Barnana is a Certified B Corp. and a founding member of the Upcycled Food Association. Since 2013, the company has upcycled tens of millions of bananas and plantains, preventing them from becoming greenhouse gas-emitting food waste and creating a revenue stream for produce that otherwise would go to waste. By way of its more than eight-year relationship with Agroapoyo, Barnana has invested in training small farmers in organic growing methods and helping them obtain organic certification. Today, it works with more than 1,500 farmer leaders in the Amazon with projections for this number to almost double in the next five years as the business expands.

The new structure creates a “farm-to-shelf” company that enables sustained growth in revenue and resources to farmers making the transition to organic regenerative production methods, the company explains. It also helps ensure a steady, reliable and growing supply of organic bananas and plantains for Barnana in the years to come.