Dole Japan Banapen

Multinational agri-company Dole has continued to raise its game in delivering innovative banana products in Japan.

This year, Dole has released the first dedicated pen for writing on bananas – the Banapen. Using an edible vinegar ‘ink’, the pen can be used to draw on the banana peel, which gradually oxidises over five minutes to reveal the picture, or message.

The ‘Dole banana message campaign’ coincides with the Tokyo Marathon on 26 February, where messages of support will be written on bananas for marathon runners, alongside samples of its low-brix bananas.

Dole said in a statement released in January that it would also be selling the Banapen with the low-sugar bananas at vending machines in Tokyo’s Shibuya station.

Since Dole Japan began sponsoring the Tokyo Marathon in 2008, the company has released banana trophies, wearable bananas and low-sugar bananas to coincide with the marathon.