Massacres, Rigged Elections and Bananas, the sordid tale of United Fruit Co.

Viva Tropical

Peter Chapman Financial Times reporter and author of Bananas joins the show to discuss the subject of his book. The rise of one of the most powerful companies in the world during the early to mid 1900's The United Fruit Company. Listen how the creator of the Banana Republic and purveyor of the yellow fruit would stop at nothing to maintain control of their business.For 100 years the company controlled most of Central America, they rigged elections and massacred people, while building a banana empire.It is a fascinating story and has inspired many from the Latin region to speak up, from Che Guevara to Pablo Neruda. Peter also talks about how United Fruit set the blue print for all multinational companies today. Enjoy the show.