Business ideas can arise in the most unlikely circumstances. For Robert Watkins, the idea to produce green banana flour began when he accidentally drove over a hand of green Lady Finger bananas on his family farm in Tropical North Queensland. He noticed something unusual in the sun: the crushed fruit resembled flour.
Today, that accident has grown into Natural Evolution Foods, a pioneering Australian company transforming surplus fruit into functional, nutrient-dense ingredients valued for their gluten-free versatility and resistant starch benefits. Through innovative processing technology, it has evolved into a practical solution for food waste, a new market for growers, and a more thoughtful approach to what ends up in our kitchens.
Originally written October 2020, updated and republished August 2026.
The hidden cost of food waste
Over five million tonnes of food is discarded annually in Australia, not only from households, but along the whole supply chain- costing the Australian economy over $20 billion annually. Robert has seen this first-hand at farm level, where fresh produce is discarded weekly before it ever reaches consumers due to strict cosmetic standards imposed by supermarkets.
“Week after week I would have to dispose of perfectly good bananas because they were considered unsaleable for the supermarket giants,” Robert recalls.
In a country that wastes millions of tonnes of edible food each year, much of it never seen by consumers, repurposing cosmetically rejected produce into functional nutrition is a practical and powerful shift.
From accident to innovation
In 2010, on his family farm in Tropical North Queensland, Robert Watkins accidentally drove over a hand of green Lady Finger bananas that had been baking in the sun. Instead of simply seeing waste, he noticed something unexpected- the crushed green bananas resembled flour in both texture and appearance.
That moment instigated the idea for what would become Natural Evolution Foods’ first product: green banana flour. Robert began experimenting, testing and refining the concept. After numerous trial batches, he and his wife Krista started producing small six-kilogram batches in their home kitchen, selling them through their café.
Having experienced mild coeliac symptoms himself, Robert understood the need for better-quality gluten-free flour options. The idea of transforming surplus green bananas into a functional, naturally gluten-free flour carried personal significance as well as commercial potential.
“We were surprised by how quickly our green banana flour was selling. Before we knew it, people were phoning orders in and we were months behind in production,” he said.
Demand quickly outgrew their kitchen and within six months, Robert had refined production processes and designed the world’s first banana peeling machine, increasing production to 300 kilograms per week. It wasn't long until these quantities sold out too.
In 2014, Natural Evolution Foods secured funding to build the world’s first pharmaceutical-grade banana flour facility, dramatically increasing output and allowing expansion of their product range and into international markets.
A new market for growers
“What began as a purpose and use for tonnes of wasted bananas each week has evolved into a new market for all growers - not just for their waste,” Robert says.
Today, growers have an alternative marketplace for their produce, can earn more for higher-grade bananas, and reduce packaging and freight requirements by supplying directly into a value-added food system.
What started as an accident on a Queensland farm has become a model for how food waste, agricultural innovation and functional nutrition can work together. This innovation doesn’t just reshape farming economics, it changes what’s possible in the kitchen too.
Explore the Natural Evolution range here >
The resistant starch discovery
Natural Evolution Foods is the first company in the world to commercially produce green banana flour and has made incredible scientific discoveries. Through ongoing research, the team identified that Lady Finger bananas grown in Tropical North Queensland contain exceptionally high levels of naturally occurring resistant starch - one of the highest recorded in whole foods.
Resistant starch behaves differently to typical starches. It passes through the small intestine undigested and reaches the large intestine, where it can be fermented by gut bacteria.
Want to know more about resistant starch? Discover the benefits, food sources and simple ways to add it to your diet in our guide to the best way to get resistant starch >
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