Skip to main content
COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:1 1897-1955 R311

Records of companies acquired by the United Fruit Company

Overview

The records contain minutes, charters, by-laws, and annual reports of fruit and related companies acquired by the United Fruit Company or in which it owned stock, 1897-1955.

Dates

  • Creation: 1897-1955
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1897-1916

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.

Extent

2 linear feet (6 volumes, 1 box)

The collection contains six volumes and one box of records fruit and related companies acquired by the United Fruit Company or in which it owned stock, 1897-1955. There are meeting minute books for the Snyder Banana Company, Sama Fruit Company, Dominican Fruit Company, and Monumental Trading Company. The bulk of the collection is minutes, charters, by-laws, and annual reports, 1897-1916. There is also a box containing United Fruit Co. wage and benefit policies, circa 1955, and annual reports and proxy statements, 1938-1945.

Historical Note:

The United Fruit Company was incorporated in March 30, 1899. The company immediately acquired the Boston Fruit Company and several others. By 1930, the company had absorbed more than twenty rival firms and was the largest employer in Central America. It engaged in the production, transportation, and marketing of bananas, sugar, cocoa, abaca, and other tropical agricultural products. The United Fruit Company ultimately owned or leased property in Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, and numerous other Central American, South American, and West Indian countries.

Physical Location

MANU

Provenance:

Purchase, 2005.

Related Material:

For additional manuscript material relating to the United Fruit Company, see the Boston Fruit Company Records and the Henry Bradford Arthur Papers. For photographs of the United Fruit Company see the United Fruit Company Photograph Collection, United fruit Company lantern slides and the United Fruit Company photographs.

Processing Information

Processed: April 2011

By: Christine Riggle

Subject

Title
Records of companies acquired by the United Fruit Company, 1897-1955 (inclusive), 1897-1916 (bulk) : A Finding Aid
Author
Baker Library
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak00165

Repository Details

Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository

Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.

Contact:
Baker Library | Bloomberg Center
Soldiers Field Road
Boston MA 01263 USA
(617) 495-6411