Bananas Finally Evolved 🍌

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Read time today: 2:54 min

Hi friend,

It’s Friday morning. You’re reading the final VITAMIN C 🍋 of 2025.

As always, there were millions of headlines fighting for attention. I filtered the noise and picked five signals I believe actually matter.

Here they are. Let’s close out 2025 curious.

Bananas haven’t changed in 75 years.

Same variety. Same clones. Same browning problem that quietly wipes out a third of the global supply.

Now that’s changing.

A UK biotech company called Tropic Biosciences used CRISPR to create the first commercial non-browning banana. Instead of adding foreign DNA, they simply turned off one enzyme responsible for browning. Result: a banana that stays creamy yellow for up to 12 hours after peeling

Why this matters more than it sounds:

This upgraded banana isn’t considered a GMO under most regulations. That fast-tracks approval, and it already has clearance in the US, Canada, and the Philippines.

Food innovation doesn’t always look radical. Sometimes it just… doesn’t turn brown.

Read more here.

Once reserved for bodybuilders, creatine is having an all-time high moment.

Being one of the most studied supplements in the world, it’s now showing up in places you would not have expected:

The market numbers are impressive (Grand view research):

Creatine isn’t just about muscle gains anymore. New studies show it supports energy metabolism, brain health, and even hormonal balance during menopause.

And the market's reacting fast: The brand Create launched just 2 years ago and it is on track to hit $60 million this year.

But where there is fast money, there’s also shadow.

Not every creatine product might actually provide what it promised.

There was a lot of talk in the last weeks because many creatine gummy brands don’t even contain a meaningful dose of creatine. Some have none at all. You would need to eat 100+ gummies a day to see an effect.

➤ So, if you’re curious to try this new all-rounder, my advice would be to do your homework. Not all supplements are created equal.

I recently came across Xampla, a University of Cambridge spinout, and love what they do.

They are tackling one of the hardest problems in food and packaging: single-use plastic (responsible for over 90% of plastic pollution globally).

Xampla has developed a plant-based material that performs like plastic but fully breaks down naturally. No microplastics. No petrochemicals. No compromises on function.

Instead of inventing another biodegradable coating that still leaves residue, they asked a more radical question: What if plastic just wasn’t needed at all?

I can’t wait to see their products in use across supermarket shelves.

Check them out here.

Have you heard of home cafés yet?

Across TikTok and Instagram, people are turning their apartments into temporary cafés - thoughtfully designed coffee moments at home, shared with friends and acquaintances.

Printed menus. Branded napkins. Curated playlists.

What people seem to be looking for besides affordable coffee is closeness, community, and intimacy. Things even the coziest café can’t always deliver.

I love hosting people, but in a small Berlin apartment, space is a limiting factor.

Still, with colder months ahead and long evenings inside, hosting a home café feels like a fun experiment.

If you give it a try, please let me know how it goes!

Read more about home cafés here.

Here is an inspiration for anyone who likes to craft during the festive season. This London-based artist created candles that look like real foods: bread, cheese or even a full English breakfast.

(Head nod to Daniel Skavén Ruben for the find.)

Check out the artwork here.

Happy Holidays & stay awesome,
Lia

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