Coles has left residents in the NSW Mid North Coast fuming after ditching local bananas in favour of product from Queensland.
Coffs Harbour is famous for its Big Banana, and the decision has sparked backlash, with some residents vowing to boycott the retailer in favour of rival Woolworths.
Local banana grower Paul Shoker is urging Coles to “give local shoppers what they want”.
“In business, the saying is that the customer is always right,” he told Yahoo News.
“You don’t have to have a degree in supermarket management to know that locals want local bananas.”
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Local banana grower Paul Shoker found some residents of Coffs Harbour were unhappy when Coles revealed it would no longer stock locally grown banannas.
(Supplied)
Coles’ decision has come as a shock to many locals who pride themselves on their banana heritage. This morning, a shopper who visited one of its supermarkets said no one was buying its bananas.
Local distributor Golden Dawn buys from family farms around the region, and has had a relationship with Coles for 35 years.
In August 2024, Coles began discussions with the company, and by October 2025, it revealed plans to switch suppliers in a year.
Yahoo News understands Golden Dawn now faces a one-third cut in business, likely leading to staff layoffs.
Shoker, who sells to Gold Dawn, explained that local managers at both supermarkets have traditionally been “very good” to deal with. And he notes that there has never been an issue with quality.
Coffs Harbour has a ripening facility in the town.
Coles reveals reason to swap out local bananas
But Coles is shifting away from the direct-to-store produce distribution model.
And its preference is overwhelmingly to supply its network of supermarkets through its strategically located distribution centres.
Coles claims the decision was “not taken lightly” and acknowledged it will “impact some supplier arrangements”.
“This decision is part of a broader change to Coles’ fresh produce supply model,” it said in a statement.
“As part of that change, we are transitioning away from direct-to-store produce arrangements and towards a more consistent operating model across our store network.”
Coffs Harbour is home to the iconic Big Banana, but Coles is now planning to buy from elsewhere.
(Matt Jelonek/Getty)
Coles said it is committed to buying 100 per cent of fresh bananas from Australian growers, and that it will continue to support farmers in the community.
Farmers plead for Coles to rethink banana decision
Wally Gately, the president of the Coffs Harbour and District Banana Growers Association, said Coles’ decision was “fairly disappointing”.
“With local fruit, it doesn’t have to be trucked all those extra miles,” he said.
“And local bananas are definitely better tasting than those out of North Queensland, where they grow quickly and lose their taste.
“Here it’s slower growing and slower to mature, so they’re better.”
Shoker hopes Coles will reconsider its decision, particularly given a swell in public support for local farmers on community forums. More than 3,200 have signed a petition calling on Coles to “support local farmers”.
“Our growers aren’t going to take this lying down, we’re fighting for our futures,” he said.
“We don’t want people boycotting Coles, we want them to be buying local bananas from them.”
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