Fyffes Snapshot
You might say this company is Europe's top banana. A major European importer and distributor of tropical produce, Fyffes is best known for its bananas. It was the first company to brand bananas, using its now familiar "Blue Label." It markets its fruit, which also includes Fyffes Gold Pineapples and melons, under the Fyffes and Turbana brands. It also distributes produce to retailers in the US through its 50% stake in Turbana Corp., the US subsidiary of Colombian banana exporter Uniban. In addition to its fruit distribution business, Fyffes owns 40% of real estate investment firm Blackrock International Land. Edward Fyffe founded the company in 1888 to import bananas from the Canary Islands to London.