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| Country: USA plus Consuls Clear Subject: United Fruit Co Clear | Sort: Newest listed first |
;) | MAIL TO CO-FOUNDER OF THE UNITED FRUIT COMPANY, Jamaica postal history 1891 cover with U.S. 5c with SWAMPSCOTT MAY 13 1891 to Capt. L.D. Baker, Port Antonio, Jamaica with Boston (MY 13), Kingston (MY 23) and Port Antonio (MY 24 91) b/stamps, reverse stained. The actual history of the UFCo does not start until its foundation in 1899 but the “legend” of the Company goes back to May 1870 when Captain Lorenzo Dow Baker, a well-known Yankee sea captain and owner of the two-masted schooner “Telegraph” arrived in Jamaica from his home port of Wellfield, Massachusetts and filled spare deck cargo space for his return trip to New Jersey with 160 stems of bananas purchased at 14 cents each. On arrival in Jersey City he found they readily sold on the quayside at $2 per stem, and so began Captain Baker’s interest in the banana industry. Six years later in 1876 Captain Baker joined forces with Andrew W. Preston to found the Boston Fruit Company. Some 20 years later forces were joined with Minor C. Keith who had built a railroad in Costa Rica and was using it to transport bananas from the plantations. The three men, each giants in their own field, evolved plans to form a new Company, and on the 30th March 1899 co-founded a new firm, to be called the United Fruit Company, with assets of some 213,000 acres of land in the Central American Republics, some 110 miles of railway, a small fleet of ships and approximately $11,000,000 in capital. Captain Baker’s initial 160 stems of bananas turned into 17,000,000 stems being shipped annually for consumption in the USA by 1899. £140 |