Today was my favorite tour yet because it included pina coladas and fresh pineapple. We visited an organic pineapple plantation that has been running since 2008. They harvest around 20,000 kilos of pineapple per week and export them to stores and other countries. What I found most interesting was the stark contrast between the coffee supply chain and the pineapple supply chain. The pineapple is simple and low maintenance while the coffee bean has to be carefully picked, peeled, dried, roasted and then shipped. The pineapple starts from planting the crown or the sucker of the pineapple fruit in the ground. This is then watered with a sprayer every few weeks. It will usually take 2 years for a plant to fruit, but this can be expedited after the first fruit with an ethanol spray which helps the flower bloom. They harvest the fruit a few months after the flower blooms and then ship it. Much of the work is automated with tractors, sprayers and sometimes a conveyor belt to transport the fruit. This simple process helps them harvest and export faster and more efficiently.

As an organic farmer they still face the same challenges as conventional farmers, but they just have to use safer and natural solutions. To prevent weeds and erosion they use plastic to cover the area around the plant. This plastic is also reused in other products after it has served its purpose to make it more sustainable. To prevent animals and bugs like moths from eating the pineapples they have two solutions. The first is to spray a pepper mix on top of the fruit every three days which will deter the animals and bugs from eating it. They also pick the fruit early while it is still green which is less appealing to the animals. This also helps them with transport because the fruit won’t spoil as soon. 

If I had the choice to work on either a coffee plantation or a pineapple plantation I would choose a pineapple plantation every time. Nothing will beat the fresh pineapple I will be able to eat everyday. All of the workers get paid a minimum of $30 a day and can easily earn more than $50. This may not seem like a lot, but it is more than the average coffee bean picker. The pay would be the defining factor for me as both of the work conditions are similar, long, hot, humid days. The fresh pineapple will make it all worth it!