There are some great old photos of Puerto Armuelles in this video from 100% Porteños. Pictures from the old banana fincas, railroads, and many of the old buildings, some of which can still be seen around town. Enjoy a glimpse into Puerto’s…
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If you missed the previous installments: Coming to Puerto Armuelles in 1928: Part 1 Coming to Puerto Armuelles in 1928: Part 2 Coming to Puerto Armuelles in 1928: Part 3 Part 4 – Esperanza But there came a time later…
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In part 3, Mark Trafton Jr. describes how the banana farms were started and a little more about daily life on the fincas, as well as the duties of the Woodland Overseer. If you missed the previous installments: Coming to…
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This is the second installment in a series of re-prints of the first hand account of Mark Trafton Jr., one of the original Woodland Banana Farm Overseers in the early days of United Fruit Company in Barú. In this episode,…
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When Claral Richards gave me this excerpt from a book called “Bananeros in Central America”, by Clyde Stephens, I couldn’t wait to dive into reading. Once I began, I couldn’t put it down! This is a first hand story from…
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Chiquita Banana (previously United Fruit Company) was instrumental in the economic growth of Puerto Armuelles. Masters of marketing, they took a little known, tropical and exotic, fruit back in the 1940’s and turned it into one of the…
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Chiquita Banana (previously United Fruit Company) has a deep rooted history in Puerto Armueles and Baru. Did you know that Chiquita was the first company to ever brand a fruit? Their commercials and marketing were some of the most effective…
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The Del Monte subsidiary, Banapiña SA, hired the first 54 workers during the first part of May. They have begun planting the banana pups to start growing for future harvest.This is a major step in the reactivation of the banana…
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The reactivation of the banana plantations in the district of Barú, Chiriqui is moving forward quickly. BanaPiña has been busy since they started operations, in January this year, with the cleaning of land, drainage to get the irrigation systems in,…
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Since Del Monte (Banapiña de Panama SA) began operations in Baru and set up their office in Puerto Armuelles this year, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes. They have begun cleaning up and improving the fincas…
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