Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. (ML&P, ) is a land holding and operating company founded in 1909 and based in Kapalua, Hawaii, United States. It owns approximately on the island of Maui. It develops, sells, and manages residential, resort, commercial and industrial real estate; and operates retail, golf and utility operations at the Kapalua Resort. ML&P also owns and manages the Puu Kukui Watershed Preserve, one of the largest private nature preserves in the state of Hawaii. It formerly grew pineapples.
Organization
Maui Land & Pineapple Company was structured into three operating segments, but re-organized into two at the end of 2009 (with the closure of the pineapple business). The Resort segment includes the operation of the golf and vacation resort community, Kapalua Resort, and is managed through the Kapalua Land Company. The Community Development segment involves management of all the company's real estate development, construction, entitlements, sales and leasing activities as well as the operation of Kapalua Realty, a general brokerage real estate company, located in Kapalua Resort.
Kapalua Land Company
Kapalua Land Company, Ltd. (KLC) operates the Kapalua Resort of , along with the development and sale of real estate on the resort. KLC was established in 1975 and manages resort holdings of over 800 residences, homesites and condominiums, golf courses, tennis courts, a spa, retail and pro shops. Kapalua Resort hosts the PGA Tour’s season-opening Hyundai Tournament every January.
Real estate
The Community Development division manages and develops ML&P’s land holdings. This includes the company’s real estate development, construction, entitlements, sales and leasing activities as well as the operation of Kapalua Realty and Kapalua Water Company, a Public Utilities Commission-regulated water system and sewage transmission operations that services Kapalua Resort in West Maui.
ML&P’s projects are focused on the luxury real estate market within the Kapalua Resort. This includes completed projects of Honolua Village Center, Kapalua Coastal Trail, Kapalua Spa and The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay. The Community Development division is also planning the affordable and moderately priced residential and mixed use communities of Pulelehua in West Maui and the expansion of Haliimaile in the "Upcountry" area of Maui known as Kula.
Maui Pineapple Company
Maui Pineapple Company, Ltd. (MPC) was the United States' largest grower of Hawaiian pineapples. MPC began in 1909 as the Keahua Ranch Company, Ltd, and became the Maui Pineapple Company in 1932 . MPC cultivated and processed approximately of a hybrid variety of pineapple known as "Maui Gold." It operated Kapalua Farms, located near Kapalua Resort, which cultivated Kapalua Gold and Kapalua Emerald organic pineapples and Kapalua Natural transitional pineapples. Kapalua Farms operated Pineapple Farm Tours in West Maui and managed an organic diversified farming operation. The Maui Pineapple Company closed in 2009. The Hali‘imaile Pineapple Company, a locally owned and operated successor to the Maui Pineapple Company, continues cultivation of 1,350 acres on the slopes of Haleakala.
The company owned a multi-purpose processing facility in Kahului, Maui, where its fresh fruit packing and processing operations were consolidated. The facility also provided refrigerated storage, freight consolidation and warehousing to the greater Maui farming and agricultural community. Maui Pineapple Company's headquarters were located in Kahului, Maui with a satellite division, Kapalua Farms, located near Kapalua Resort, which was also owned by its parent company.
Pineapple Varieties
The "Maui Gold" variety was introduced to the market by MPC in 2005. It is naturally sweet with a low acid content. Maui Gold is sold in Hawaii and the USA mainland, in both the West Coast and Midwest markets. Maui Gold Organic reached the market in melons.
Hawaiian pineapple agriculture
Maui Pineapple Company used field rotation, cover crop, and fallow time to manage sustainable agriculture. MPC fields were being evaluated for diversified crops, including taro and other tropical crops. The company used an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system to reduce pesticides.
History
Company history started in 1903 with Henry Perrine Baldwin and David Dwight Baldwin, sons of medical missionary Rev. Dwight Baldwin. The family acquired land in East and West Maui, and over the next 100 years, they began ranching and their primary business of cultivating pineapples. The family expanded their land holdings, owning of land on Maui island by 1933.