'Banana Republics'

Transformed into Chiquita Brands in 1980, the former United Fruit Company caused much chaos and grief in Central America. Once the largest employer here, the company owned huge tracts of land to supply bananas and pineapples to the US and Europe. Its political power was immense. It bribed politicians, treated workers ruthlessly and arranged the 1954 US-backed coup in Guatemala. A nasty legacy for Miss Chiquita Banana.