The Pineapple Industry
Pineapple used to be big business in Hawaii. Sugar and Pineapple used to be words synonymous with Hawaii, but now those fields have all been replaced with housing developments, condos and resort hotels.
Del Monte, after harvesting pineapple in Hawaii for 90 years, decided to cease its operations at the end of 2008. This decision left 700 people without a job. The company said that it decided to cease operation in Hawaii because it is cheaper to grow pineapple in other parts of the world. With the closure of the Del Monte plantation now only Dole and the Maui Pineapple company grow Pineapple in Hawaii.
It is believed that pineapple was brought to Hawaii by the Spanish in 1527, arriving on Spanish ships. James Drummond Dole is credited with advancing the pineapple industry in Hawaii. Dole also purchased the entire island of Lanai, the sixth largest Hawaiian island and turned it into “Pineapple Island.” However, production of pineapple ceased in 1992, on the island of Lanai. You can visit Lanai with Lanai vacation packages to discover its pineapple past.
The Dole Plantation is still in operation to this day. Today however, Hawaii does not even rank in the top ten for pineapple production in the world. It produces less than 2 percent of the world’s pineapple. The Dole plantation operates on Oahu and roughly a million people visit the plantation each year. The site includes an entire “pineapple experience.” At the plantation you can go through the pineapple maze or ride the train, called the Pineapple Express, and is a train tour that is fully narrated. Not bad for a place that once started out as a fruit stand.
Although, the pineapple industry is not what it used to be, it’s still a big part of the Hawaii culture and history to this day.