# Chiquita Brands International

> American company

**Wikidata**: [Q1074666](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1074666)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiquita)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/chiquita

## Summary
Chiquita Brands International is an American food manufacturer and agribusiness primarily known for producing bananas. Originally founded as the United Fruit Company on March 30, 1899, in Boston, it operates today as a trademark and business jointly owned by the Safra Group and Cutrale. The company employs approximately 20,000 people and maintains dual headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, United States, and Etoy, Switzerland.

## Key Facts
*   Founded on March 30, 1899, in Boston, originally under the name United Fruit Company (UFCO).
*   Operates as a food manufacturer, trademark, and business within the agribusiness, agricultural and food trade, and crop production industries.
*   Employs approximately 20,000 people.
*   Jointly owned by the Safra Group and Cutrale, each holding a 50% stake.
*   Maintains headquarters in Etoy, Switzerland (located at Route de l'Etraz 2, postal code 1180) and Fort Lauderdale, United States.
*   Previously traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CQB.
*   Primary product produced is bananas.
*   International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) is US1700328099.
*   Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is 549300Y5XD0883W6DC96.

## FAQs
**What industries does Chiquita Brands International operate in?**
The company operates across several sectors, primarily functioning as an agribusiness and food manufacturer. Its specific industry classifications include agricultural and food trade, as well as crop production.

**Who owns Chiquita Brands International?**
Chiquita is equally owned by two parent organizations: the Safra Group and Cutrale. Each entity holds a 50 percent stake in the company.

**Where is Chiquita Brands International located?**
The company has dual headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, United States, and Etoy, Switzerland. The specific Swiss office is located at Route de l'Etraz 2 in the municipality of Etoy.

**What are the company's social media handles?**
Chiquita maintains a presence on multiple platforms, including Twitter and Instagram under the handle `chiquita` and `chiquitabanana` respectively, Facebook as `Chiquita10elode`, Pinterest as `chiquitabrands`, and YouTube with the channel ID `UC_WJEFyQyG-_iaEMaAXOB7Q`.

**What was Chiquita Brands International's former name?**
The company was originally founded as the United Fruit Company. It is also known by aliases such as Chiquita Brands, United Fruit, and UFCO.

## Why It Matters
As a major public company turned privately held entity, Chiquita Brands International represents a foundational pillar of modern global agribusiness and food trade. Operating primarily in the crop production sector with its signature bananas, the enterprise illustrates the massive scale of international agricultural supply chains, employing 20,000 individuals worldwide. The company's historical lineage traces back to the United Fruit Company, marking it as a significant entity in the historical development of international trade and economics in the Americas. The joint acquisition by the Safra Group and Cutrale underscores its continued strategic importance and high valuation in the global food market.

## Notable For
*   Being a globally recognized food manufacturer and trademark, specifically dominating the international banana market.
*   Originating as the United Fruit Company, a historically significant enterprise founded in 1899 in Boston.
*   Having a binational corporate footprint with primary headquarters in both the United States (Fort Lauderdale) and Switzerland (Etoy/Rolle).
*   Maintaining a vast multilingual digital footprint, with Wikipedia articles available in over 28 languages including Arabic, Chinese, English, Japanese, and Russian.

## Body

### Corporate History and Formation
Chiquita Brands International was officially formed on March 30, 1899, in Boston. At its inception, the enterprise was named the United Fruit Company, which is often abbreviated as UFCO or simply United Fruit. Over time, the corporation transitioned its identity to the Chiquita brand. It is recognized legally and historically under several aliases, including Chiquita Brands International Inc., Chiquita Brands, and the Japanese equivalent "チキータ・ブランズ・インターナショナル".

### Ownership and Corporate Structure
The organization functions as a food manufacturer, trademark, and business. Historically, it was a publicly traded entity listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CQB. However, its corporate structure later shifted, and it is currently owned by the Safra Group and Cutrale. Both parent organizations hold an equal 50% ownership stake in the company. A notable subsidiary within its corporate structure is Chiquita Brands International (United States). Its current legal form is recognized as a Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH). 

### Operations and Industry
The company is a major player in the agribusiness sector. Its specific commercial operations encompass the agricultural and food trade, as well as direct crop production. The primary, flagship product associated with the Chiquita brand and produced by the company is the banana. The corporation oversees a massive workforce, reporting approximately 20,000 employees.

### Global Presence and Headquarters
Chiquita maintains a significant global footprint. Its executive operations are split between two primary headquarters locations. In the United States, the headquarters is situated in Fort Lauderdale. In Switzerland, the primary base of operations is located in Etoy (also associated with Rolle), specifically at Route de l'Etraz 2, postal code 1180, which has been in use since 2017.

### Financial and Identifying Data
The company possesses several key international financial and library identifiers:
*   **ISIN:** US1700328099
*   **LEI:** 549300Y5XD0883W6DC96
*   **GND ID:** 5059653-6
*   **VIAF ID:** 155218628
*   **Freebase ID:** /m/03b59v
*   **Crunchbase Organization ID:** chiquita-brands-international
*   **KISTI ID:** K000361609
*   **PM20 Folder ID:** co/004777
*   **Library of Congress Authority ID:** nr94013888
*   **National Library of Israel J9U ID:** 987007456596405171
*   **UK Parliament Thesaurus ID:** 20501
*   **Museum Digital ID:** 237998
*   **Yale LUX ID:** group/fb0c6caf-a47d-40bb-8101-2bc6dcd9adac
*   **Quora Topic:** Chiquita-Brands-International
*   **Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID:** topic/Chiquita-Brands-International-Inc

### Digital and Social Media Footprint
Chiquita maintains an active online presence through its official website and various social media platforms. 
*   **Website:** http://www.chiquita.com
*   **Twitter:** The verified account `@chiquita` (ID: 83938964) was created on October 20, 2009. It had 18,187 followers in July 2020, 19,630 in January 2021, 19,782 in January 2022, and 20,933 in February 2023.
*   **YouTube:** The channel (ID: UC_WJEFyQyG-_iaEMaAXOB7Q) was started on July 2, 2012. It has 110 videos and 4,510 subscribers, with approximately 9,926,604 total views recorded in late 2020. Subscriber counts reached 5,100 in August 2023, 5,620 in April 2024, and 5,790 in May 2025.
*   **Instagram:** `chiquitabanana`
*   **Facebook:** `Chiquita10elode`
*   **Pinterest:** `chiquitabrands` 

The company's Wikipedia presence spans 28 languages, including Arabic, Catalan, Danish, German, English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Chinese, in addition to Wikimedia Commons.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. 20th Century Press Archives
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. Google Knowledge Graph
5. [Source](http://km.aifb.kit.edu/services/crunchbase/)
6. Quora
7. Via P227 lookup with GND value from PM20 folder. 20th Century Press Archives
8. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
9. YouTube API