Standard Fruit Company facts for kids
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| Industry | Fruit |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired by Castle & Cooke in 1968 |
| Successor | Dole Food Company |
| Founded | 1924 in United States |
| Founder | Vaccaro brothers |
The Standard Fruit Company was a big company that sold fruit. It is now known as Dole plc. This company started in the United States in 1924. It was founded by the Vaccaro brothers.
Before 1924, the Vaccaro brothers had a smaller business. In 1899, Joseph, Luca, and Felix Vaccaro, along with Salvador D'Antoni, began importing bananas. They brought bananas to New Orleans from La Ceiba, Honduras. Their business grew very quickly. By 1915, it was so large that they bought many ice factories. This ice was used to keep their banana ships cold. Because of this, Joseph Vaccaro became known as the "Ice King."
Contents
Standard Fruit Company: A Fruitful History
How the Company Grew
The Vaccaro brothers were immigrants from Sicily. They started their fruit business with a simple idea. They wanted to bring fresh bananas from Central America to the United States. This idea turned into a very successful company.
Their ships needed to keep the bananas from spoiling. Ice was very important for this. Buying ice factories helped them control their supply chain. This made their business even stronger.
The "Banana Republics" Connection
Standard Fruit Company, along with another large company called United Fruit Company, had a big impact. They played a significant role in the governments of countries like Honduras. These countries became known as "banana republics."
This term means that the fruit companies had a lot of power. They could influence how these countries were run. This was because the companies owned so much land and provided many jobs.
Becoming Dole Food Company
In 1926, the company changed its name. It became the Standard Fruit & Steamship Company. This new name showed that they also used steamships for transport.
Between 1964 and 1968, a company called Castle & Cooke Corporation bought Standard Fruit. Around the same time, Castle & Cooke also bought another fruit company. This was James Dole's Hawaiian Pineapple Company.
Later, in 1991, Castle & Cooke changed its name. It became the Dole Food Company. So, the Standard Fruit Company eventually became part of what we know today as Dole Food Company.
