If you haul bananas or pineapples from the Gulf of Mexico, Chiquita Brands International is once again moving. Over the years they have set up shop in New Orleans twice, where they are currently located. But within weeks they’ll be moving to Gulfport Mississippi for the second time.
Two years after returning to The Big Easy, Chiquita plans to leave New Orleans.
Based in Orlando, FL, Chiquita U.S. Corp., announced July 5th in a press release its plans to relocate its Gulf of Mexico operations from the Port of New Orleans to the Port of Gulfport.
The move is scheduled for August, according to the release.
“We are pleased to return our port operations to Gulfport where our Chiquita ripening and distribution facilities are located,” Andrew Biles, Chiquita’s president and CEO, said in the release. “We believe that Gulfport is optimally situated to service our customers most efficiently with both north and southbound vessel services.”
In May, rumors circulated “around the docks” at the New Orleans port that Chiquita Brands International, a part of Chiquita U.S. Corp., was considering moving its cargo business.
In May 2014, Chiquita announced plans to return to New Orleans after relocating operations to Gulfport, Miss., in the mid-1970s.
Chiquita, which then did business as United Brands, had imported bananas and other fruit for more than 70 years in New Orleans.
As part of the deal to return to The Crescent City, the port agreed to invest $2.2 million in improvements at a port-owned distribution and ripening facility to be leased to Chiquita as well as fund $2 million in refrigerated-container electrical infrastructure improvements and rehabilitate a container freight warehouse.
Chiquita distributes and markets fresh bananas and pineapples from the Gulf.
Chiquita Brands International Inc. is an American producer and distributor, not only of bananas, but other produce. The company operates under a number of subsidiary brand names, including the flagship Chiquita brand and Fresh Express salads. Chiquita is the leading distributor of bananas in the United States.