Dole Pineapple Plantation

The History of the Pineapple

The Hawaiian word for pineapple is halakahihi, which means “foreign fruit”. It is believed that pineapple first originated in Paraguay or Brazil. No one really knows when exactly pineapple was brought to Hawaii but historians believe that a Spanish shipwreck in 1527 brought pineapple along with many other plants to the Hawaii.

Captain John Kidwell is credited with founding Hawaii’s pineapple industry. In the 1880’s he imported and tested many varieties and selected the Smooth Cayenne because of its form and unique texture.

In Hawaii pineapple is regarded as a symbol of peace and hospitality. When the European colonist first traveled to North America, they brought pineapples with them, they would place them outside their doors to say that they were here to stay and there door is open to everyone. These traditions continued for many years.

James Drummond Dole “The Pineapple King” James Drummond Dole came to Hawaii in 1899. The next year he bought a 61 acre piece of land where he established his first pineapple plantation. Although James Dole wasn’t the first person to grow pineapple in Hawaii he was by far the most influential. James Dole knew that there would be a huge market for pineapple outside of Hawaii. The only way to get his pineapple to other countries was to can it. So in 1901 he built a pineapple cannery. After only a few years he moved the cannery to Honolulu harbor because there were more people to work there, better shipping ports and more supplies. At one time this cannery was the worlds largest and it remained open until 1991. The demand for pineapple continued to grow and so James Dole bought more land. In 1922 he bought the entire island of Lanai and made it into the largest pineapple plantation in the world with 20,000 pineapple-producing acres and over a thousand workers. At one time Lanai supplied almost 75 percent of the world’s pineapple. By the 1930’s Hawaii was known as the pineapple capital of the world. The Hawaiian Pineapple Company now was processing over 200,000 tons of pineapple a year and was the second largest industry behind tourism. 90 percent of all canned pineapple was produced here James Drummond Dole passed away in 1958 at the age of 80. The company he started is now one of the most recognized brands in the world.

Pineapple Cultivation

Most of the pineapple in Hawaii is grown at elevations below 3000 feet. In order to grow good fruit you need a combination of relatively cool nights, a high percentage of sunny days, and day temperatures around 70-85 degrees.

In Hawaii pineapple is grown year round. The first step in growing pineapple is covering the area you are going to put the pineapple in black plastic mulch. This mulch helps hold in moisture, controls weeds and pests, and heats the soil to stimulate root growth. Next you take the crown of the pineapple (the green leafy top) and stick it in a hole through the mulch. A skilled planter can plant over 10,000 pineapples a day which is about ½ an acre. To irrigate the fields a tube is placed in between the rows of pineapple. Water then drips out of the tube on to the plant. Harvesting the plant is also done by hand. To harvest the pineapple workers will walk through the field and twist off the fruit. Workers must wear heavy clothes and gloves while harvesting because the leaves of the plant are very sharp.

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