Pineapples...Pineapples...Pineapples Thu, Nov 03, 2016

James Dole was born and raised in Jamaica Plain, Massachusets. He grew up in a Puritan family and later attended Harvard. After graduating at 22 years old with a Bachelor's in Agriculture, he began looking into moving away and seeing what the West was about. 

With a savings of about $1500 and plenty of determination, Dole made his way by train across the country, and hopped on a boat to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1899. That sounds like a long trip to me. He arrived in Hawaii, purchased 64 acres, and began planting all kinds of tropical fruit. 

Due to the Iron-rich soil, the 10th plant that he tried was the first to survive. It is a hearty and durable fruit that has now become an empire. The Dole Pineapple. 

You can now tour the Plantation and learn a bit of it's history, but to me the most impressive part of this tale is how it started, with a determined and opportunistic mentality...and the Dole whips are pretty good, too.

Happy Thursday, Team!!