Maui Land & Pineapple Company facts for kids

Maui Land & Pineapple Company

Traded as	NYSE: MLP Russell 2000 Index component
Founded	1909
Headquarters	Kapalua, Hawaii
Area served	United States
Products	pineapple

Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. (ML&P) is a company based in Kapalua, Hawaii. It started in 1909. This company owns a lot of land on the island of Maui, about 24,300 acres (98 km2).

ML&P develops and manages homes, resorts, and businesses. It also runs shops and services at the Kapalua Resort. The company owns and takes care of the Puʻu Kukui Watershed Preserve. This preserve is a large private nature area in Hawaii, covering about 8,304 acres (34 km2). In the past, ML&P was famous for growing pineapples.

What Maui Land & Pineapple Company Does

Maui Land & Pineapple Company used to have three main parts, but it changed to two parts in 2009. This happened when they stopped growing pineapples.

The Resort Business

The Resort part of the company runs the Kapalua Resort. This resort is a place where people can go for vacations and play golf. The Kapalua Land Company manages this part of the business.

Kapalua Resort: A Fun Place to Visit

Kapalua Land Company, Ltd. (KLC) takes care of the Kapalua Resort. This resort covers about 1,650 acres (7 km2). KLC also develops and sells land within the resort.

KLC started in 1975. It manages many homes, condos, golf courses, tennis courts, and a spa. The Kapalua Resort hosts a big golf tournament called the Hyundai Tournament every January.

Developing Communities

The Community Development part of ML&P manages and develops the company's land. This includes planning, building, selling, and renting real estate. It also runs Kapalua Realty, a real estate company.

This part of the company also operates Kapalua Water Company. This company provides water and sewage services to the Kapalua Resort.

Luxury Homes and Future Plans

ML&P focuses on building fancy homes in the Kapalua Resort. Some finished projects include the Kapalua Coastal Trail and the Kapalua Spa. They also built The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay.

The Community Development team is also planning new communities. These will have homes that are more affordable. These new areas are Pulelehua in West Maui and an expansion of Haliʻimaile in the "Upcountry" area of Maui called Kula.

Maui Pineapple Company: A Sweet History

Maui Pineapple Company, Ltd. (MPC) was once the biggest grower of Hawaiian pineapples in the United States. MPC started in 1909 as the Keahua Ranch Company, Ltd. It became the Maui Pineapple Company in 1932.

MPC grew about 2,000 acres (8 km2) of a special pineapple called "Maui Gold." They also had Kapalua Farms, which grew organic pineapples. Kapalua Farms offered Pineapple Farm Tours. The Maui Pineapple Company stopped growing pineapples in 2009.

Today, a new company called Haliʻimaile Pineapple Company continues to grow pineapples. They grow about 1,350 acres (5 km2) on the slopes of Haleakala.

Pineapple Varieties

The "Maui Gold" pineapple was first sold by MPC in 2005. It is naturally sweet and not very sour. Maui Gold pineapples are sold in Hawaii and on the USA mainland.

Growing Pineapples in Hawaii

Maui Pineapple Company used special farming methods to keep the land healthy. They rotated fields, planted cover crops, and let fields rest. This helped them farm in a way that protects the environment.

The company also used a system called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This helped them use fewer pesticides.

History of the Company

The company's story began in 1903 with Henry Perrine Baldwin and David Dwight Baldwin. They were sons of a missionary named Rev. Dwight Baldwin. Their family bought land in Maui and started ranching. Over time, their main business became growing pineapples. By 1933, the family owned 22,600 acres (91 km2) of land on Maui.

In 1962, the company joined with Baldwin Packers. In 1969, Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. was formed. It combined land from Alexander & Baldwin and the J. Walter Cameron family. The company then became public, meaning people could buy shares in it. Colin Campbell Cameron, a descendant of the Baldwin family, was its first president.

In 1975, ML&P started Kapalua Land Company, Ltd. This new company focused on building the resort. Maui Pineapple Company, Ltd. became a part of ML&P that focused on farming. In 1975, the company opened its first golf course. More golf courses, homes, and hotels followed.

ML&P also helped protect nature. In 1978, they set aside 3,307 acres (13 km2) of coastal land for the Honolua-Mokuleʻia Marine Life Conservation District. In 1988, they promised to protect 8,304 acres (34 km2) of land in West Maui. This area became the Puʻu Kukui Watershed Preserve, a very large private nature preserve in Hawaii.

In 2009, Maui Pineapple Company stopped its pineapple operations after 97 years. This left only a small pineapple farm on Oʻahu. However, a group of former Maui Pineapple Company leaders started a new company. This new company, Haliʻimaile Pineapple Company, Ltd. (HPC), continued to grow and sell fresh pineapples under the Maui Gold Brand. They hired 65 of the old employees.

In 2010, the Kapalua Farms organic pineapple farm was taken over by Ulupono Sustainable Agriculture Development. Also in 2010, the Plantation golf course and the Kapalua Bay course at Kapalua were sold to new investors.

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