And the future is uncertain for everyone in the banana trade.

The Cavendish is susceptible to a new strain of Panama Disease known as Tropical Race 4, or TR4. The Cavendish is essentially a clone, and while genetically identical bananas that look and act alike are good for business, Mr. Koeppel said, “when one gets sick, they all get sick.

“There is no question that the Cavendish banana is going to be severely stricken by Panama Disease,” Mr. Koeppel said. “There are reputable plant pathologists saying this, not just banana-loving journalists.”

He added: “Nobody knows when.”

Some in the industry play down the threat; others are looking for a replacement banana. In Asia, they’re trying to breed a resistant Cavendish, Mr. Koeppel said. “But you can’t just breed in resistance. You might be breeding out other stuff, like flavor.”

In the meantime, the hustle continues. In the wee hours of the morning, the Ferahoglus leave Hunts Point and make their rounds in a box truck, unloading several boxes of bananas on the corner of 96th Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It is one of the busiest fruit stands in the city, open day and night, four umbrellas long.

“This is the best spot in the city for street selling,” said Oktay Suleyman, one of the dayside vendors, on a recent weekday.

Bananas were typically four for $1, and on a good day they sold as many as 15 boxes, or roughly 1,500 bananas, Mr. Suleyman said. Monday, after people had run through their weekend supply, was their busiest day.

Mr. Suleyman had half a lemon handy, which he used to wet his fingers to more easily open plastic bags. “In the rush hour, I have to be fast,” he said, as commuters began to spill out from a nearby subway stop.