Pineapple revival
A new, smaller company picks up where Maui Land & Pineapple Co. left off
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 03, 2010
About 65 workers arrived at dawn yesterday for the first day of work at a new though much smaller pineapple company that will allow fresh pineapple farming and packing to continue on Maui.
Haliimaile Pineapple Co. began operations yesterday on 1,000 acres of leased land with some equipment purchased from Maui Land & Pineapple Co.
All workers were former employees of Maui Pineapple, which shut down last week after 97 years in operation. The company laid off about 285 employees and transferred 130 to partner companies.
Yesterday, workers picked more than 41 tons of pineapples in five hours.
"This morning was a real chicken-skin moment," said Rudy Balala, Haliimaile vice president, who worked at Maui Land & Pineapple for more than 30 years. He began talking with Darren Strand, a former Maui Pineapple operating director, about running their own operation a year ago.
"Our thing is trying to run as lean as possible and have everybody involved in the operations," Balala said. "We want everybody to be cross-trained."
Because volume is much lower than Maui Pineapple’s, the company needs a small crew that can do everything, he said.
Some workers who haven’t picked pineapple for more than 10 years were picking pineapple yesterday, Balala said.
"Everybody wants this company to succeed and they’re really showing it, especially on the first day," he said.
Tomorrow, all employees will go to Kahului to train and pack pineapples.
"There were a lot of smiles, a lot of happy people," said Doug Schenk, a shareholder in the new company. "A lot of people raring to go."
