Originally from South America, the ananas comosus, aka “pineapple”, was discovered in 1493 by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. The origins of the fruit’s common name can be traced back to Columbus’ observation of its scaly exterior, which is said to bear a resemblance to pine cones. Fascinated by the delicious fruit, Columbus brought it back to Europe, where it gained the interest of European travellers and were distributed in the 16^th and 17^th centuries to various parts of the world.

In the late 19^th century, pineapple plantations in Malaya thrived, so much that the fruit had to be canned to preserve it. Singapore then began exporting canned pineapples where she became a major player in the global pineapple-canning industry!