Fyffes plc

About Fyffes

Fyffes plc is an Irish fruit and fresh produce company headquartered in Dublin and is one of the largest fruit importers and distributors in Europe; in the banana segment the company is the European market leader. Its business activities comprise the production, sourcing, shipping, ripening, distribution and marketing of bananas, pineapples, melons and exotic fruits, marketed mainly under the Fyffes, Trudi's and Turbana brands in Europe and North America. Since 2017 the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Sumitomo Corporation. The ripening centre in Basingstoke, with a capacity of 117,000 boxes (over 2,100 tonnes of bananas), is the largest in Europe. The company does not trade in industrial components and does not manufacture metal or plastic parts; information on manufacturing processes and materials is therefore not available.

Site

Dublin

Processes

Production, sourcing, shipping, ripening, distribution and marketing of bananas, pineapples,, Marketing under the Fyffes, Trudi's and Turbana brands

Founded

1888

Industries

Fruit and fresh produce trading, Banana imports, Tropical fruits

1. 01

   Production

2. 02

   Sourcing

3. 03

   Shipping

4. 04

   Ripening

5. 05

   Distribution

6. 06

   Marketing

Sites

History

1. 1789

   Henry Fyffe leaves Perth (Scotland) and settles in London as a food and tea merchant.

2. 1888

   Edward Wathen Fyffe begins the commercial import of bananas; the first consignment arrives in London.

3. 1897

   Merger with Hudson Brothers to form Fyffe Hudson & Co.; purchase of land in the Canary Islands for banana plantations.

4. 1901

   Merger with Elder Dempster & Company to form Elders & Fyffes Ltd. in London.

5. 1902

   United Fruit Company acquires 45% of the shares; Charles McCann opens the first Fyffes distribution operation in Dundalk (Ireland).

6. 1929

   The blue Fyffes label is used on bananas for the first time.

7. 1969

   Renamed Fyffes Group Ltd.

8. 1986

   Acquired by the Irish group FII plc; Fyffes becomes an Irish company.

9. 1989

   Renamed Fyffes plc.

10. 1996

    Acquisition of the banana business of Geest Plc.

11. 1999

    Acquisition of 50% of Capespan Holdings International.

12. 2006

    Spin-off of the real estate portfolio into Blackrock International Land plc.

13. 2007

    Spin-off of the fresh produce business as Total Produce plc.

14. 2014

    Planned merger with Chiquita Brands International is terminated following a counterbid from Cutrale/Safra.

15. 2016

    Acquisition of the Canadian mushroom growers Highline Produce Limited (C$145 million) and All Seasons Mushrooms Inc. (C$59.1 million).

16. 2017

    Full acquisition by Sumitomo Corporation for €751 million; delisting from the Dublin and London (AIM) stock exchanges.

17. 2020

    Sale of the mushroom business to Summit Fresh Produce.

18. 2025

    Launch of the 2025–2035 sustainability strategy, including a goal of gender parity in leadership by 2035 and regenerative agriculture on 13,000 hectares by 2035.