Maui Land & Pineapple Company

Maui Land & Pineapple Company is a Hawaii-based landholding and operating company centered on Maui. Its historical identity was closely associated with pineapple cultivation, but its present business is primarily connected with land stewardship, community and resort development, property management, and operations at the Kapalua Resort. The company controls a substantial land portfolio on Maui, reported at approximately 24,300 acres, giving it an unusually large private land base for a regional enterprise. The company’s roots extend to the Baldwin family’s ranching and agricultural interests on Maui. The predecessor Keahua Ranch Company began in 1909, and the agricultural operation later became Maui Pineapple Company. Through successive combinations involving Baldwin family holdings, Alexander & Baldwin interests, and the J. Walter Cameron family, Maui Land & Pineapple Company was formed in 1969 and became a public company. Pineapple remained an important operating activity for decades, while the company progressively developed resort and real-estate assets in West Maui. Kapalua became the company’s principal resort platform. Through Kapalua Land Company, established in 1975, ML&P developed and operated a master-planned resort community incorporating residences, homesites, condominiums, hotels, golf courses, tennis facilities, a spa, retail premises, recreational facilities, and related utility infrastructure. The resort has included properties associated with The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, the Kapalua Bay area, and the Plantation and Bay golf courses. The company has also managed property sales, leasing, construction, entitlements, and brokerage through its community-development activities and Kapalua Realty. ML&P’s land portfolio also supports conservation and environmental stewardship. In 1978, the company dedicated coastal acreage to the Honolua-Mokuleʻia Marine Life Conservation District. In 1988, it committed approximately 8,304 acres of West Maui land, including the Puʻu Kukui summit area, to the Puʻu Kukui Watershed Preserve. The preserve is described as one of Hawaii’s largest private nature preserves and protects important watershed and native-ecosystem resources. Pineapple operations declined as production economics, fuel costs, tourism conditions, and the changing structure of Hawaii agriculture made the business increasingly difficult to sustain. The Maui Pineapple Company ended its pineapple operations on December 31, 2009, after approximately 97 years of activity. Former executives and local investors subsequently established Haliʻimaile Pineapple Company, which acquired or licensed selected assets and continued growing and selling Maui Gold pineapple. That successor operation is separate from ML&P, and ML&P no longer grows or sells the Maui Gold variety. The former organic Kapalua Farms operation was also transferred to another agricultural operator. Today, the company is best understood as a diversified Maui landowner rather than a pineapple producer. Its activities include resort operations, luxury and planned-community real estate, commercial and industrial property, water and wastewater utility services supporting Kapalua, agricultural land management, and conservation. Projects and planning areas have included the Honolua Village Center, Kapalua Coastal Trail, Kapalua Spa, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay, Pulelehua, and expansion planning in Haliʻimaile. Its business and public profile remain closely linked to the long-term management of Maui land, the economic development of West Maui, and the balance between resort growth, local housing, agriculture, cultural resources, and environmental protection.

Maui Land & Pineapple Company developed from the agricultural and landholding interests of the Baldwin family on Maui. The family’s activities included ranching and pineapple cultivation, and the predecessor Keahua Ranch Company was established in 1909. Over the following decades, the family and associated interests accumulated extensive acreage across East and West Maui. By 1933, the holdings were reported at approximately 22,600 acres. The agricultural business became Maui Pineapple Company in 1932. In 1962, it merged with Baldwin Packers. Maui Land & Pineapple Company was created in 1969 through the combination of interests associated with Alexander & Baldwin and the J. Walter Cameron family. The company went public, while Maui Pineapple Company operated as the agricultural subsidiary. Colin Campbell Cameron, a fifth-generation Baldwin descendant, became the first president and chief executive officer and served in that role until his death in 1992. The company gradually expanded beyond agriculture. In 1975 it established Kapalua Land Company to develop and operate a resort community on approximately 1,650 acres in West Maui. The Kapalua project grew to include residential properties, homesites, condominiums, hotels, golf courses, tennis facilities, a spa, retail space, and related services. The first golf course opened in 1975, followed by additional courses, luxury residences, and The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. Kapalua Realty and the Kapalua Water Company became part of the broader resort and community-development platform. Conservation became another significant part of the company’s land strategy. In 1978, ML&P dedicated coastal land to the Honolua-Mokuleʻia Marine Life Conservation District. In 1988, it committed 8,304 acres of West Maui land, including the Puʻu Kukui summit area, to what became the Puʻu Kukui Watershed Preserve. The preserve protects watershed functions and native habitats and is recognized as one of Hawaii’s largest privately managed nature preserves. The company’s resort expansion also generated cultural and development challenges. In 1989, excavation for a hotel uncovered hundreds of ancient Hawaiian remains. The discovery underscored the importance of archaeological and cultural considerations in the development of Maui’s coastal lands. Ownership and management changed during the 1990s and 2000s. Investor Harry Weinberg acquired a significant position but did not obtain a board seat while the Cameron family resisted his involvement. After Weinberg’s death, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation inherited his shares. Lawyer Daniel H. Case helped arrange a transaction intended to preserve the company’s continuity, and his son Steve Case became an investor in 1999. Richard Cameron, a member of the founding family, served as an executive and chairman before resigning as chairman and leaving the board in 2005. Gary L. Gifford announced his resignation in 2003 and was temporarily succeeded by Donald Young. A later resort expansion program was associated with Cole, who departed at the end of 2008, while Case joined the board in 2008. Maui Pineapple Company remained a major agricultural operation for much of this period. It cultivated the Maui Gold hybrid and operated a Kahului processing facility that also provided cold storage, freight consolidation, and warehousing services to Maui’s farming community. The company also operated Kapalua Farms, including organic and transitional pineapple production and farm tours. The Maui Gold variety was introduced commercially in 2005. Rising fuel costs, falling real-estate prices, and weaker tourism contributed to losses and layoffs in 2008. The company sold its Plantation golf course to TY Management Corporation in 2009 and ended pineapple operations on December 31 of that year. Former Maui Pineapple executives and local investors formed Haliʻimaile Pineapple Company, which began operating on January 1, 2010. That successor leased or acquired selected ML&P assets and retained a portion of the former workforce, while continuing Maui Gold production. Kapalua Farms’ organic pineapple operation was taken over by Ulupono Sustainable Agriculture Development. In 2010, Steve Case increased his ownership to more than 60 percent while the company retired some debt. The Kapalua Bay golf course was sold to the same investors associated with the earlier Plantation course transaction. After the closure of pineapple operations, ML&P’s identity became primarily that of a diversified landowner and developer. Its continuing activities include resort management, residential and commercial development, property sales and leasing, utility operations, agricultural land stewardship, and management of conservation acreage. Planned or proposed communities have included Pulelehua in West Maui and expansion of Haliʻimaile in the Upcountry Maui area.

• 2010

  Haliʻimaile Pineapple Company begins successor operations

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  A locally backed successor assumed selected assets and continued Maui Gold cultivation independently of ML&P.

• 2009

  Pineapple operations closed

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Maui Pineapple Company ended its pineapple operations on December 31 after approximately 97 years.

• 2005

  Maui Gold pineapple introduced

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Maui Pineapple Company introduced the Maui Gold hybrid pineapple to the market.

• 1989

  Ancient remains found during development

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Excavation for a hotel uncovered hundreds of ancient Hawaiian remains.

• 1988

  Puʻu Kukui conservation commitment

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  ML&P committed 8,304 acres of West Maui land to conservation, forming the basis of the Puʻu Kukui Watershed Preserve.

• 1978

  Coastal conservation land dedicated

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company dedicated 3,307 acres of coastal land to the Honolua-Mokuleʻia Marine Life Conservation District.

• 1975

  Kapalua Land Company established

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  ML&P created a subsidiary dedicated to development and operation of the Kapalua resort community; its first golf course also opened.

• 1969

  Maui Land & Pineapple Company formed and listed

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The modern company was created through a combination of family and agricultural interests and became publicly traded.

• 1962

  Merger with Baldwin Packers

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Maui Pineapple Company merged with Baldwin Packers.

• 1932

  Maui Pineapple Company name adopted

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The agricultural enterprise became known as Maui Pineapple Company.

• 1909

  Keahua Ranch Company established

  [1]Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor company was formed amid Baldwin family ranching and agricultural activities on Maui.

A long-term Maui landowner and developer combining resort operations, real-estate development, utility services, agriculture, and conservation stewardship.

• Resort and master-planned community · 1975

  Kapalua Resort

  Kapalua is ML&P’s principal resort platform in West Maui. Developed and operated through Kapalua Land Company, it encompasses residences, homesites, condominiums, hotel and club properties, golf courses, tennis facilities, a spa, retail premises, and supporting infrastructure. The resort has historically focused on luxury hospitality and high-end residential real estate while also incorporating public-facing recreational and coastal amenities.

• Golf and leisure · 1975

  Kapalua golf courses

  The Kapalua resort historically included multiple golf courses, including the Plantation and Kapalua Bay courses. The courses formed part of the resort’s tourism and real-estate proposition and supported major professional golf events. ML&P sold the Plantation course in 2009 and the Kapalua Bay course in 2010, so these assets should not be treated as wholly owned current ML&P offerings.

• Real-estate brokerage

  Kapalua Realty

  Kapalua Realty is the company’s general brokerage operation associated with Kapalua Resort. It supports property sales and related real-estate activity within the resort and forms part of ML&P’s community-development segment.

• Water and wastewater utility

  Kapalua Water Company

  Kapalua Water Company operates a regulated water system and sewage-transmission infrastructure serving Kapalua Resort. The utility activity complements the company’s land-development and resort-management operations and is subject to Hawaii Public Utilities Commission regulation.

• Conservation land · 1988

  Puʻu Kukui Watershed Preserve

  The Puʻu Kukui Watershed Preserve covers approximately 8,304 acres of West Maui land committed to conservation by ML&P in 1988. It includes the Puʻu Kukui summit area and protects watershed resources and native ecosystems. It is one of the most significant conservation holdings associated with the company.

• Pineapple agriculture · 1932

  Maui Pineapple Company

  Maui Pineapple Company was ML&P’s agricultural subsidiary and historically one of the largest growers of Hawaiian pineapple. It cultivated Maui Gold and other varieties, operated processing and packing facilities, and managed Kapalua Farms. The operation closed at the end of 2009 and is no longer an ML&P product or operating business.

• 2010

  Increase in Steve Case’s ownershipM&A

  Background

  The company was retiring some debt and seeking to preserve continuity after the end of pineapple operations and a period of financial pressure.

  Action taken

  Steve Case increased his holdings in July and August 2010 to more than 60 percent of the company.

  Aftermath

  The transaction strengthened Case’s controlling position and left ML&P oriented toward its land, resort, utility, and conservation assets.

  Source

• 2009

  Exit from pineapple cultivation and processingStrategy

  Background

  Higher operating costs, difficult agricultural economics, and broader pressure on Hawaii’s pineapple industry made the company’s agricultural business increasingly difficult to maintain.

  Action taken

  Maui Pineapple Company ceased pineapple operations on December 31, 2009, while ML&P continued to focus on land development, resort operations, property management, utilities, and conservation.

  Aftermath

  A successor company, Haliʻimaile Pineapple Company, continued Maui Gold production using selected assets and leased land, but ML&P no longer grew or sold pineapple.

  Source

• 2009

  Sale of the Plantation golf courseM&A

  Background

  The company was restructuring its asset base during a period of losses and pressure on resort and real-estate operations.

  Action taken

  ML&P sold the Plantation golf course at Kapalua to TY Management Corporation.

  Aftermath

  The sale was followed by the sale of the Kapalua Bay course to the same investors in 2010.

  Source

1. 1Maui Land & Pineapple Companyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Maui Land & Pineapple Company official websitemauiland.com