Chiquita facts for kids
Chiquita Brands International S.à.r.l. (say it: chih-KEE-tah), once known as the United Fruit Co., is a company based in Switzerland and the United States. It's famous for growing and selling bananas, but it also sells other fresh foods. Chiquita is the biggest seller of bananas in the United States.
The company you know as Chiquita today grew out of the United Fruit Company. For a while, a businessman named Carl Lindner Jr. owned most of it. But in 2002, Chiquita had some money problems and had to reorganize. Later, in 2003, Chiquita bought a German food company called Atlanta AG. Then, in 2005, it bought Fresh Express salads. Chiquita's main office used to be in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In 2014, Chiquita and another company called Fyffes plc planned to join together. This would have created the world's largest banana company! But then, two Brazilian companies, Cutrale and Safra Group, offered to buy Chiquita for a lot of money. Chiquita first said no, wanting to stick with Fyffes. However, Chiquita's shareholders (the people who own parts of the company) voted against the merger with Fyffes. Instead, they accepted the offer from Cutrale and Safra.
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How Chiquita Started
Chiquita Brands International's story began in 1870. A ship captain named Lorenzo Dow Baker bought 160 bunches of bananas in Jamaica. He then sold them in Jersey City, USA, just eleven days later. In 1873, a railroad builder named Minor C. Keith started growing bananas in Costa Rica. He planted them along his railroad tracks to help make money for the railway. In 1878, Captain Baker teamed up with Andrew Preston to start the Boston Fruit Company.
The United Fruit Company was formed in 1899. This happened when the Boston Fruit Company and other fruit businesses joined together. In 1903, United Fruit Company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. It was the first company to use refrigerators on ships to keep fruit fresh during long ocean trips. Around this time, a railroad was built in Guatemala with money from the U.S. to help the company. During these early years, United Fruit Company was known for its very strong business methods in Central America.
In 1928, workers on the company's banana farms in Colombia went on strike. They were protesting against low pay and bad working conditions. The Colombian government sent soldiers to the town where the workers had gathered. This sad event, known as the Banana Massacre, resulted in many workers and their families dying.
United Fruit used exciting advertisements to get support. They had a cruise ship called "The Great White Fleet" that took American tourists to countries in Central and South America. These trips made the places seem fun and exotic. But these tours often hid the difficult reality on United Fruit's farms in Latin America. By 1930, the company had 95 ships.
In 1944, the company launched the "Chiquita Banana" advertising jingle. This catchy song, with a calypso beat, taught people about bananas. It started with "I'm Chiquita Banana, and I've come to say." The name Chiquita became a registered trademark in 1947.
In 1952, the government of Guatemala started giving unused United Fruit Company land to farmers who didn't have any. The company tried to make the U.S. government think the Guatemalan government was a threat. In 1954, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency helped change the government in Guatemala.
By 1955, United Fruit Company was handling a huge amount of fruit: 2.7 billion pounds (1.2 billion kilograms) each year. In 1966, the company started selling bananas in Europe. In 1970, the company merged with AMK Corporation and changed its name to United Brands Company. In 1980, Chiquita was an official sponsor of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
In 1984, Carl Lindner Jr. became the main investor in United Brands.
In 1990, the company changed its name again to Chiquita Brands International. It invested a lot in Costa Rica. But its business in Honduras started to decline. This led to strong competition with a rival company called Fyffes. Chiquita sometimes stopped and destroyed Fyffes' banana shipments. This caused millions of dollars worth of produce to be lost.
In 1993, new rules in Europe made it harder to import bananas from Latin America. In 1994, some Chiquita farms were certified as being environmentally friendly by the Rainforest Alliance. In 1998, the world's largest banana processing center opened in Costa Rica. In 2001, Europe changed its banana import rules, ending the disputes.
Changes at Chiquita
In November 2001, Chiquita faced financial difficulties and had to reorganize its business. It came out of this reorganization in March 2002. This ended Carl H. Lindner Jr.'s control of the company. Also in 2002, Chiquita joined the Ethical Trading Initiative. This group works to improve working conditions.
In 2003, Chiquita bought a German food distribution company called Atlanta AG. In 2004, all Chiquita farms were certified for good labor standards. The company also won an award for being a good "Corporate Citizen." In 2005, Chiquita bought Fresh Express salads.
Big Business Deals
In March 2014, Chiquita Brands International and Fyffes announced they would merge. This deal would have created the world's largest banana company. It was valued at about US$526 million. The new company would have been called ChiquitaFyffes. Chiquita's CEO, Ed Lonergan, said it was a "milestone transaction" that would offer customers more products. Fyffes' chairman, David McCann, added that both companies would benefit from their shared knowledge.
However, in August 2014, two Brazilian companies, Cutrale and Safra Group, offered to buy Chiquita for US$611 million. Chiquita first rejected this offer. But later, Chiquita's shareholders voted against the merger with Fyffes. Instead, they accepted the offer from Cutrale and Safra. If Chiquita moved its main office again, it would have to repay money it received from North Carolina.
How Chiquita Works Today
Chiquita Brands International works in 70 countries around the world. As of 2018, it employs about 20,000 people. The company sells many fresh foods, including bananas, ready-made salads, and healthy snacks. Its Fresh Express brand makes about $1 billion in sales each year and has a 40% share of the salad market in the United States.
In 2011, Chiquita decided to move its main office to Charlotte, North Carolina. The company received money to help with this move. They also liked the growing airport in Charlotte. Chiquita wanted to become a company that sells a lot of products at a low cost.
By 2019, the company's main offices left the United States and moved to Switzerland.
Chiquita's Logo
The company's famous mascot, "Miss Chiquita," was created in 1944 by Dik Browne. He is also known for drawing the comic strips Hi and Lois and Hägar the Horrible. Miss Chiquita first appeared as a cartoon banana with a woman's dress and legs. Several singers gave her voice in commercials. Advertisements showed the banana character wearing a fruit hat. In 1987, the banana with a fruit hat changed into a woman. A new Miss Chiquita design was shown in 1998.
Small peel-off stickers with the Chiquita logo started being placed on bananas in 1963. They are still put on by hand today so the fruit doesn't get bruised.
In 1947, a commercial with a theme song in English ended with the words "si, si." This was to show consumers that the bananas came from Latin America. Over time, Chiquita's images and advertisements changed to fit the times.
See also
In Spanish: Chiquita Brands International para niños
- Grand Nain
- Paramilitarism in Colombia
- Union of Banana Exporting Countries
- United Fruit Company
- 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état
