Page 14 - Salcombe Gin Voyager Series 'Island Queen' - Trade Information

pineapple trade

The first large scale cargo of
pineapples arrived into the UK from
the Bahamas in the 1820s, but the
trade only started in earnest in the
1840s with the introduction of the
Salcombe Fruiters. These vessels
could make the return journey in three
to five weeks, knocking at least two
weeks off the passage times of the
1820s. These faster voyages meant
the precious cargo could be delivered
in fine condition to the fruiter ports of
London, Liverpool, Bristol, Hull and
Southampton.

The fruiters were reputed to advertise
their cargo whilst sailing up the
Thames to discharge their cargo at
St. Katharine Docks and Nicholson’s
Wharf by displaying one of their biggest
pineapples on the end of their jib boom.

The cargo was sold by pineapple
brokers including the firms Keeling
& Hunt, Collings & Company and
John & James Adam & Co. The finest
specimens were sold at Covent Garden
and purchased wholesale by hotels,
restaurants and shops like Owen
and Bentley, a luxury fruiterer at the
north end of Bond Street, where each
pineapple sold for up to ten shillings,
the equivalent of about £300 today.

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