Today, we visited both a banana and pineapple plantation. I must say, the pineapple was by far the best I have ever tasted. Anyway, the supply chain of bananas and pineapples differs significantly with coffee. One example is that bananas and pineapples completely skip the manufacturing step in a supply chain. Whereas coffee takes lots of processing to reach the cup, they just need grown and distributed, making it a much less complex supply chain. Since this is the case, the pineapples and bananas can reach more countries through exportation. The quantity and simplistic nature of the products means more opportunities to export, increasing the reach of the supply chain. We can see similarities between the supply chains through the explanation above. Both supply chains have suppliers and distributors. It just takes less time for bananas and pineapples to get from the supplier to the distributor.

Just like the coffee plantations, these other plantations have a big emphasis on sustainability from an environmental, occupational, and community-based viewpoint. From an environmental standpoint, both plantations talked about making compost with crop waste. Once bananas are harvested from a plant, its stalk needs cut down. Lots of organic material that can be used for compost results from cutting the stalks, and reusing this material reduces the amount of inorganic fertilizer necessary, making the farm more environmentally sustainable. The same process applies to pineapple, although the compostable material must be cut from the pineapple more. From an occupational standpoint, both companies want to maintain their workers, so each puts an emphasis on worker safety. At the pineapple plantation, workers are provided special clothing for harvesting pineapples, which can be rather spiky. Rubber boots, durable pants, and long-sleeved shirts are provided to ensure the workers do not injure themselves. For both plantations, the use of organic fertilizers instead of harmful herbicides also protects the workers’ health and contributes to that facet of sustainability.

The parallels with coffee continue with the threat of disease to pineapples and bananas. Typically, in the supermarket, we see one type of banana. This is the Cavendish banana. For large suppliers like Chiquita, they can control the environment in such a way that diseases do not reach the banana plants. For smaller operations, however, this cannot be achieved. Instead, they plant many different varieties of banana. This way, a disease the affects one variety will not affect the production of the entire farm. Instead of wiping out the entire farm, only a portion of the plants will be harmed, making the farm less susceptible to disease.

If I were a plantation worker, I would probably work on a coffee plantation, but in very specific conditions. When we visited Doka, the tour guide mentioned that the workers get housing on site and healthcare for working there. I feel that, although coffee plantation workers get paid the least for their work (~$30 per day) compared to pineapples (roughly double), the extra benefit of housing makes coffee the better option. Living right on the plantation means transportation to work will not be problematic. It also seems safe and tranquil on the farm. In addition to housing, healthcare would give me security in the case of an injury at work, which is possible. Neither the banana nor pineapple plantation guides mentioned any of these worker benefits, so I believe coffee, at Doka at least, to be the best option for me.