A History of Innovation

Related to Article: Cover Profile – Chiquita/Fresh Express

Chiquita's history of innovation extends over 130 years from the arrival of its first bunch of bananas in the States to its development of and recognition for its FreshRinse technological breakthrough.

1870 Captain Lorenzo Dow Baker purchased 160 bunches of bananas in Jamaica and sailed them to Jersey City in 11 days, where he sold them for a profit.

1871 Minor C. Keith went to Costa Rica and contracted to build a national railroad. Since he needed cargo and passengers for the railroad, he planted bananas alongside the tracks to provide paying fares both inland and back to the sea.

1899 Painted ships white to reflect tropical sun and maintain optimum temperature for bananas.

1903 Revolutionized ocean transportation of perishable food products by using refrigerated vessels.

1904 Company perfected an unbroken string of wireless communication from the United States to South America. The first to bring this new technology to the tropics so that the ships at sea could communicate vital information with company locations in Latin America.

1910 Initiated the first banana research in Latin America to develop new disease-resistant varieties.

1958 Scientists recommended new varieties of bananas which were resistant to Panama disease.

1961 Began shipping pre-cut hands of bananas in cardboard boxes instead of bunches, to protect against bruising.

1969 Awarded first patent for modified atmosphere packaging to provide a low oxygen atmosphere in individual boxes of bananas to arrest ripening during transit.

1976 First packaged salad introduced for foodservice.

1983 First packaged salad developed with a shelf-life long enough to allow for retail distribution regionally.

1989 Unique breathable Keep Crisp Bag marries technology advancements; breakthrough created first individually packaged ready-to-eat fresh garden salad marketed to retail stores for the first time nationwide.

1992 Refrigerated ships fitted with controlled atmosphere to slow the ripening process and enhanced the quality of fruit shipments.

2006 Established Scientific Advisory Panel for leafy greens food safety research initiative; funded $2 million for independent E. coli research

2007 The research results were made public at the Fresh Express Produce Safety Summit.

2010 Chiquita’s Dr. Grace Ho invents FreshRinse, a technological breakthrough for significantly reducing E. coli:0157, Salmonella, and Listeria on produce.

2010 Awarded the "Black Pearl Award of Corporate Excellence in Food Safety & Quality" from the International Association for Food Protection.