We recently connected with Rasheda Jenkins and have shared our conversation below.

Rasheda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I had been a construction worker for the better part of 10 years when my whole world came crashing down. On the morning of December 7th, 2017 I prepared to finish a concrete pour that we had started earlier that week. When all of the sudden a worker came over to my spot and began to move the line i had my foot on. My foot got stuck, I fell and hit my head on the metal deck, broke my hardhat and sustained a traumatic brain injury. After months of therapy for light and sound sensitivity, double vision, blurred vision and chronic fatigue, my symptoms didn’t completely go away. After going back to work on restrictions, I realized I could no longer do the work. After crying and going through periods of anger, confusion, and sadness I had a serious conversation with myself about the future. I had to reinvent myself and find a new way to live and make a living for my family. I have always made banana bread with my family and people have always loved it, so I decided to sell it at a farmers market in my community. After the first season was a success, I realized that this could be a viable business and so I went to work and Gone Bananas was born. My son has a nut and swimming fish allergy and it has been a challenge to find snacks without allergens. When i did my research i found that 1 in every 3 children have a nut allergy. I also found that dairy, egg, soy and gluten are very common allergens, so I decided my mission is to be a conduit of joy by providing a snack that has none of the a fore mentioned allergens and is still good.

Rasheda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Gone Bananas specializes in Fresh made Nut free Banana bread in three amazing flavors. Simply Banana is Classic banana bread, Chocolate Covered Banana is Milk and Dark Chocolate chips, Wild Banana is Milk, White, and Dark Chocolate and Butterscotch. Our bread is nut free, dairy free, egg free, soy free and there is a gluten free option as well. JOY is a greater predictor of good health and is something we all need. At Gone Bananas we believe we can be a conduit of J.O.Y. and share it through our bread. Just because you have an allergy doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy good food and with Gone Bananas you don’t have to compromise flavor.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest misconceptions I had to unlearn is that we are meant to be a certain place in life by a certain age. When I fell, hit my head and sustained a traumatic brain injury, it was like starting all over. I was afraid to start over and angry about the things I lost due to changing a career I had spent so much time learning and achieving at. I had to stop comparing myself to others and look at where i was in life and remember I am only in competition with myself.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

2020 was a year to remember, from a health pandemic to social injustice, business seemed to be the last thing i would succeed at. From closing down the farmers market to not being able to go places to all social events being shut down, business was challenging however I persevered and gained my biggest client yet, lululemon. From many community events to selling our bread at the lululemon Fuel Station at the Mall of America we flourished in a time of lack and uncertainty.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gonebananasforyou.com
• Instagram: gone_bananasllc
• Linkedin: Gone Bananas