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COLLECTION Identifier: Mss:1 1891-1901 B747

Boston Fruit Company records

Overview

Records of the Boston, Mass. based banana importing firm Boston Fruit Company, 1891-1901.

Dates

  • Creation: 1891-1901

Conditions Governing Access

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

Extent

3 linear feet (3 volumes)

The collection contains three volumes of Boston Fruit Company records that date from1891 to 1901. The collection is not comprehensive; the three existing volumes probablyrepresent only a fragment ofthe company's records for the period. However, the volumesdo provide an instructive glimpse at the Boston Fruit Company's operations and financesduring the 1890s.

Historical Note:

The Boston Fruit Company was founded through the efforts of Lorenzo Dow Baker andAndrew W. Preston. In 1870, Captain Baker of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, purchased acargo of bananas during a stop in Jamaica. Upon his arrival at the port of Jersey City,New Jersey, Baker quickly sold the entire shipment for a handsome profit. Confident thata market existed for this largely unknown product, Baker joined forces with Andrew W.Preston, who owned a small fruit commission business in Boston. Throughout the 1870s,Baker delivered shipments of bananas from Jamaica to Boston, and Preston distributedthe product. The demand for bananas grew exponentially throughout the decade.

By 1882, the partners perceived the need for a more elaborate import business. With thehelp of several financial backers, Preston and Baker established the Boston FruitCompany in 1885. Baker oversaw the firm's operations in Jamaica, while Prestonmanaged the company from Boston and supervised its sales and delivery efforts. Duringthe 1890s, the firm developed a refrigerated distribution network. Boston Fruit Companyalso operated a large fleet of ships that carried its banana shipments from Jamaica toAmerican ports, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Mobile, and New Orleans.The firm's offices and docks were located at the Long Wharf on the Boston waterfront.

In 1898, Minor Cooper Keith, who controlled extensive banana operations in Costa Ricaand Panama, approached Baker and Preston to propose a merger. The Bostonians agreedto join their efforts with Keith's, and a new firm, called the United Fruit Company, wasestablished in March 1899. The Boston firm's vessels became the nucleus of the UnitedFruit Company's famous "Great White Fleet," which delivered bananas throughout theworld .

Andrew Preston became president of United Fruit Company, and held the post until hisdeath in 1924. United Fruit grew considerably during the early decades of the twentiethcentury. The company became a major Central American and Caribbean landowner. TheUnited Fruit Company played an influential and controversial role in the region's politicsthrough much of the twentieth century.

Physical Location

MANU

Provenance:

Purchase, 2003.

Related Material:

For additional manuscript material relating to the United Fruit Company, see the Records of companies acquired by the United Fruit Company 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 2004

By: Timothy J. Mahoney

Title
Boston Fruit Company. Boston Fruit Company Records, 1891-1901: A Finding Aid
Author
Baker Library
Language of description
und
EAD ID
bak00235

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:
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