An island of 7,500 people received 38,000 bananas by mistake, was left unsure where to store everything, and turned the error into a viral case with donations, hustle, and fruit overflowing everywhere.

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 02/04/2026 at 12:01

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Error in Tesco order leads Kirkwall, in the Orkney Islands, to receive 38 thousand bananas, mobilizes community and avoids waste after cancellation of ferries

A failure in Tesco’s order led to 38 thousand bananas arriving in Kirkwall, in the Orkney Islands, after requesting 380 boxes instead of 380 kilograms. The volume mobilized the community to avoid waste.

Error in banana order

The shipment was sent to the chain’s unit in Kirkwall, a town in the archipelago with 7,500 inhabitants. The problem began when an employee placed the order in boxes, not in kilograms.

Each box contains about 100 bananas. As a result, the order totaled far above what was expected, creating difficulty in storing and distributing the shipment received by the store.

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Weather prevented return

The situation worsened with the weather. Strong winds caused the cancellation of ferries between the islands and the mainland, preventing the return of the cargo and exacerbating the logistical problem.

Unable to resend the bananas, the store decided to give the fruit away for free to the residents. The measure aimed to reduce losses in light of the excess product accumulated in the establishment.

Appeal to the community

The mobilization gained momentum after a Facebook post by Paula Clarke, a representative of the chain.

She described the scene as “mountains of bananas” and invited schools and local groups to pick up boxes.

The response was swift. Residents began suggesting recipes and ways to utilize the bananas on social media, such as muffins, pancakes, banoffee pie, dehydrated chips, and even banana liqueur.

Part of the stock was sent to more remote islands in the archipelago. This measure expanded distribution and helped alleviate the surplus caused by the ordering error.

Case recalls previous episode

The episode recalled a case from 2024, also in Orkney. On the island of Sanday, an ordering error resulted in the delivery of 720 Easter eggs, which were later raffled to raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

With information from O Globo.

An island of 7,500 people received 38,000 bananas by mistake, was left unsure where to store everything, and turned the error into a viral case with donations, hustle, and fruit overflowing everywhere.