A SERIOUS debate was sparked over plantain on social media last week – and it wasn’t a diaspora war over how to correctly pronounce the name of the sweet and delicious fruit. 

Entrepreneur Samuel Williams’ tweets about a white-owned company winning an award for their plantain chip product at the 2019 Veggie Awards was seen by many as yet another all too familiar instance of black people and people of colour being erased from landscapes that they have pioneered or maintained a strong presence in.

For many, who voiced their anger at the judge’s decision, it wasn’t that they feel plantain products are something that should only be exclusively marketed and owned by black people but that the winning product was framed as “innovative” by its founders. But it wasn’t all bleak, some used the opportunity to plug their favourite black-owned plantain chip providers. Read on to discover four black-owned businesses in the market.

Grace

This Jamaican brand is a familiar staple in many black British households and one of the Caribbean’s largest food companies. Grace’s chips come in four flavours, green banana, green plantain, sweet chilli plantain and sweet plantain. 

Beyond plantain chips their products range from everything including coconut water and tropical juices to hot pepper sauces and seasonings.

Chika’s 

This UK-based brand is named after its founder, British Nigerian entrepreneur Chika. Chika’s plantain crisps come in two flavours – lightly salted and for those in the market for something with a little kick, there’s a chilli alternative.

In addition to plantain crisps, Chika’s boasts a selection of flavoured luxury nut snacks. What’s more, the brand donates two per cent of its profits to supporting girls through education via the initiative Snacks4Change in partnership with World Vision.

Sunmo

Sunmo’s plantain chips come in a variety of flavours, meaning there’s something for every type of taste bud.

If you have a sweet tooth, there’s naturally sweet and sweet cinnamon to choose from and for those who like their chips savoury, you can pick from sea salt, smoked chilli, and balsamic vinegar and sea salt. If you’re a natural lover simply try, nice and natural.

This brand isn’t just focused on providing customers with snacks that taste good, it also wants to do good as well. Each pack of Sunmo plantain chips sold provides a meal for an orphaned child in Nigeria.

Sunmo has recently launched on Amazon, meaning you can get their snacks delivered straight to your door.

Olu Olu

This brand was born in Nigeria but is now based in the UK. Founders, husband and wife duo Olumuyiwa Aiyegbusi and Oluyemisi Aiyegbusi, started the company more than 30 years ago and says the authentic flavours of the brand’s plantain chips have made them arguably one of the most sought after in Europe and Africa. They offer four flavours – sweet yellow plantain, spicy yellow plantain, green plantain and spicy green plantain.

As well as plantain chips, they offer a selection of other produce including coconut chips, pounded yam flour and rice.

Is your favourite black-owned plantain brand missing from our list? Let us know who they are in the comments below.