The Economic Times

In 1899, Harvard graduate James Dole came to Hawaii to grow coffee, but his failed plan B turned him into the Pineapple King and built a pineapple empire that became famous worldwide

James Dole arrived in Hawaii in 1899 hoping to grow coffee but his coffee venture failed, pushing him towards pineapples instead. Dole established the Hawaiian Pineapple Company in 1901, which grew significantly. He later purchased the island of Lanai, transforming it into a pineapple center and this agricultural gamble ultimately became a renowned pineapple empire.