Pineapple was considered a rare and exotic food before the advent of canning. The first pineapple canned in the US was processed in Baltimore, Maryland, in the mid-1860s.
The presence of pineapple in Baltimore was due to the expansion of the fresh fruit trade from Caribbean to the US in the mid-nineteenth century.
In 1906, the collaboration of the American Can Company with Oahu Rail and Land Company railroad and the development of a peeling and coring device by Honolulu Iron Works expedited the processing of canned pineapple rings, a popular item in home recipes and on buffets.
In 1907 there was little demand for pineapple. An economic depression discouraged consumers from buying the canned fruit still considered a novelty food item.
As industry expanded, research into the growing and canning of pineapple was stepped up. By 1921, Dole’s Hawaiian Pineapple Company was the wealthiest company and largest landowner in the Hawaiian Islands.
The history of pineapple canning in United States
