Tomorrow, Sept 22, 2007 is the Maui Pineapple Festival, being held in the historic Kahului cannery on Maui.  This cannery was shut down in June of this year, it is the last remaining pineapple cannery in the United States.  Maui Land and Pineapple Co. was loosing money with it's canning plant and is focusing on fresh fruit sales. This years festival offers one last chance to tour the Kahului Cannery. The pineapple industry on Maui has been a multi cultural operation for over 100 years.  

Pineapples were introduced in Hawaii in 1813, by 1897 150,000 pecks of pineapple were exported at value of $14,000 from Hawaii.  In 1900 James Drummond Dole purchased 61 acres in Wahiawa and began experimenting with pineapple.  By 1930 Nine million cases of pineapple were packed by eight canneries on the Hawaiian Islands.  In 1952 Frozen pineapple juice concentrate hits the shelves for the first time.  In the early 1960s
Hawaii pineapple growers supplied over 80% of the world's output of canned pineapple.  In the 1970s Pineapple cannery numbers go from 9 to 3. In 1983 DelMonte shuts down.  In 2007 Maui Land and Pineapple shuts down it's canning plant. 

The Pineapple Festival is donating a portion of the proceeds to Hale Mahaolu, a nonprofit Maui housing corporation that houses Maui's elderly and disabled.  It is also benefiting other nonprofit agencies by allowing them to have booths and keep 100% of their proceeds. This should be a great Maui community event worthy of going to if you are so lucky to be on Maui. 

For more info on the event:  http://www.pinefest.com/