14 PIECE VACCARO LINE CHINA & SILVERWARE- STANDARD FRUIT & STEAMSHIP CO DEMI SET

Description

THIS AUCTION IS FOR 14 ITEMS:
5 SAUCER PLATES DISHES - STERLING VITRIFIED CHINA - G.A. LOTZ NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA
1 DEMITASSE CUP
8 KNIVES (POSSIBLY BUTTER KNIVES) SILVER PLATED
Vaccaro brothers
originally from
Sicily
were Italian-American businessmen. Involved in import of fresh produce, they incorporated as the Vaccaro Bros. and Co. in 1906. Also expanded into providing ice to refrigerate the ships eventually building up a 35-ship fleet. As the nature of businesses expanded, in 1924, the company's name was changed to
Standard Fruit Company
and in 1926 to
Standard Fruit and Steamship Company
.
Contents
1
Business
2
Further reading
3
See also
4
External links
Business
[
edit
]
Joseph Vaccaro was born in
Contessa Entellina
,
Sicily
in 1855 and came to the United States in 1867. Felix and Luca Vaccaro joined him later. Their sister, Maria Vaccaro married Salvador D'Antoni and the Vaccaro brothers and D'Antoni pooled their resources and began importing bananas and fresh produce from
La Ceiba
,
Honduras
in 1899. They imported coconuts first from Honduras, then later bananas. They incorporated as the Vaccaro Bros. and Co. in 1906.
They began operating steamships and cultivating fruit crops and by 1915, they rivaled
United Fruit
in the banana trade in New Orleans. During
World War I
, the two companies were competing for ice to refrigerate the ships. The Vaccaro brothers were able to triumph the competition by buying all the ice houses in New Orleans and Joseph Vaccaro became known as the "Ice King".
They were able to expand quickly after the war by buying surplus ships at a discount. In 1924, the company's name was changed to
Standard Fruit Company
and in 1926 to
Standard Fruit and Steamship Company
. By 1935, 35 ships were in operation.
Standard Fruit Company
(now
Dole Food Company
) was established in the
United States
in 1924 by the
Vaccaro brothers
. Its forerunner was started in 1899, when
Sicilian
Arberesh
immigrants
Joseph, Luca and Felix Vaccaro, together with Salvador D'Antoni, began importing bananas to
New Orleans
from
La Ceiba
,
Honduras
. By 1915 the business had grown so large that it bought most of the ice factories in New Orleans in order to refrigerate its banana ships, leading to its president Joseph Vaccaro becoming known as the "Ice King".
Along with the
United Fruit Company
, Standard Fruit played a significant role in the governments of Honduras and other
Central American
countries, which became known as "
banana republics
" due to the high degree of control which the fruit companies held over the nations.
In 1926, the company changed its name from Standard Fruit Company to
Standard Fruit & Steamship Company
. Between 1964 and 1968, the company was acquired by the
Castle & Cooke
Corporation, which also acquired
James Dole
's Hawaiian Pineapple Company (HAPCO) around the same time. In 1991, Castle & Cooke was renamed
Dole Food Company
. Castle & Cooke Inc, a
real estate
company, was spun off in 1995 and, following a 2000 management buyout, is now privately held.
Further reading
[
edit
]
Thomas L. Karnes, "Tropical Enterprise: The Standard Fruit & Steamship Company in Latin America", Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1978
External links
[
edit
]
United Fruit Historical Society
Dole Food Company, Inc. website