The "perfect" pineapple takes time

In the 1800s, Portuguese attempts to turn the Azores into a major citrus production center collapsed due to blight and other disease. So, the locals turned their attention to other crops, including tea and pineapples.

The tea was pretty straight forward. Azorean teas to this day are produced without any chemicals or pesticides because Camellia sinensis, though native to Asia, thrives in the local soil and there are no natural insect predators. Some of the biggest global brands source tea from these leaves.

But pineapples were another story. It only gets to about 75 degrees here, even in the summer. So, greenhouses are required. And the local crop can’t begin to compete with the massive farms of Brazil and Hawaii and elsewhere. There are zero economies of scale to be had.

It also takes forever. The pineapple plants in these farms need two full years to produce a fruit for harvest. And that assumes the greenhouse is subject to the “fumo” process at about 18 months. The house is filled with smoke, which apparently causes all of the plants to flower at the same time.

All for a production run barely large enough to serve local demand, let alone export overseas.

Which begs the question, why bother?

I (perhaps rudely) asked my host this very question while on a tour of the Arruda plantation on San Miguel, a non-descript few acres just outside of the island’s largest city.

“Because Azorean pineapples are better,” was his reply. “We do this for love.”

That’s obviously a subjective answer. And it is very on brand for a Portuguese person to say something that is Portuguese is simply better with no further data required.

But I would note there is no inedible core to the local pineapple, and the sweetness is far superior to ones eaten locally in Hawaii. And something else he said to me resonated as well:

“The wait is part of the quality.”

I’m not sure that translates completely. But I love the sentiment. Sure, having the perfect pineapple grow overnight would be ideal. Just as picking a stock that goes to the moon immediately is, without doubt, the best form of investment.

But such fruits, and such stocks, rarely exist and are near impossible to find. The farmer’s process, though not immediate, does come with time-tested results.

I’d love to get rich quickly. I’d love not to wait years. But perhaps the best damn pineapples, and the best investing results, require patience. And for those willing to wait, the taste is indeed sweet.

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