After a 92-year run, the homegrown brand Lee Pineapple, known for its tangy and saccharine pineapple drink and other pineapple-related canned products, will close for good by end-2023.
A Facebook post in a foodie group on 3 Aug 2023 shared that the factory in Johor, Malaysia will be ceasing operations. According to the Lee Pineapple website, the factory in Jalan Skudai, Johor Bahru is its only factory.
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In his conversation with reporters, he did not mention any rumors of land expropriation at the pineapple factory. The late Dr. Lee Kong Chian and his brother-in-law Lim Chung-kwok acquired the Pineapple Factory in 1930 and renamed Lee Pineapple which developed into the "King of Pineapples". After World War II, the second-generation successor Dr. Lee Cheng Chi and the Skudai factory, a pre-war building, continued to operate for the past 92 years, continuing the "king" spirit of Lee Kong Chian's pineapple industry. According to the company's official website, the Company mainly produces canned pineapples, including circle pineapples, pineapple juice, less sugar and chili flavored pineapples, etc. Canned pineapples are not only sold in Malaysia and Singapore but also exported to the United States, Europe, Japan and the Middle East and other countries.
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The long-established Lee Pineapple will stop production at the end of the year, and netizens deeply regret it
The 92-year-old Lee Pineapple is about to transform into oil palm planting, and the canned pineapple processing plant located in Skudai, Johor will no longer produce canned pineapples at the end of this year, which has attracted attention from all walks of life and netizens are also deeply regretted.
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related: The Nostalgic Tupperware Parties
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Finding Joy in a space in which 'Joy' was bottled
Lee Pineapple was founded by Lee Kong Chian in 1931. The late Singapore businessman Lee Kong Chian, who was also known as the "Pineapple King", bought over the factory with his brother-in-law surnamed Lin in 1930. The company was established after the factory name was changed to Lee Pineapple in 1931. For the past 92 years, the Lee Pineapple factory has not stopped, not even during wartime, and has been occupying the same building in Skudai, Johor Bahru.
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Lee To Shut Pineapple Business After 92 Years, Say Goodbye To Iconic Red Cans In Supermarkets
Lee To Discontinue Canned Pineapple Production by end of 2023. Some may recognise Lee’s canned pineapples for their nostalgic bright red tins, frequently found in many supermarkets in Singapore. After producing pineapple products for close to a century, Lee will be shutting its pineapple business and pivoting to growing oil palm. The company reportedly came to the decision after the soil at its plantation became “unsuitable” for growing pineapples.
According to China Press, Lee’s pineapple factory at Skudai, Johor is currently at a “limited production” stage, paving the way for its eventual discontinuation at the end of this year. The factory had also reportedly closed for a week from 30 July to 6 Aug. Speaking to Nanyang Siang Pau, an anonymous employee shared that the soil at the company’s plantation is “no longer suitable” for cultivating pineapples. As such, the company decided to pivot to growing oil palm moving forward. As the end of its pineapple business draws closer, Lee has reportedly stopped replanting new seedlings, only tending to those that are already planted. The employee also shared that growing oil palm isn’t just less labour-intensive than growing pineapples, but is easier to manage as well.
Lee Pineapple was founded 92 years ago in 1931. Lee’s history dates back to nearly a century ago when the prominent businessman, Lee Kong Chian, founded the business in 1931. Today, Lee’s factory is still located in a pre-war building in Skudai, Johor Bahru. According to Lee’s website, the company produces a wide range of pineapple products ranging from pineapple juice to pineapple slices. A quick search on the internet show Lee’s products sold on NTUC FairPrice as well as e-commerce sites like Shopee and Lazada. Besides Malaysia and Singapore, Lee also exports its products to the United States (US) and Japan, among other countries.
Lee Pineapple to turn to oil palm
The Company's pineapple processing plant in Skudai is a pre-war building that has been producing canned pineapples for the past 92 years
The 92-year-old Company will no longer produce canned pineapples and will switch to oil palm plantation! A senior executive of the company, who did not want to be named, confirmed to Nanyang Siang Pao that the production line of canned pineapples will be completely suspended by the end of this year. He pointed out that the company did not harvest pineapples last week and that the canned pineapple processing plant in Skudai, Johor, which had been suspended from July 7 until yesterday, is currently in limited production.
The executive explained that the company began to engage in the pineapple industry in 1931, from planting, harvesting to production. "Now that the soil quality of the planted land is no longer suitable for growing pineapples, we are transitioning to oil palm planting and expect to complete the transition by the end of this year." He described that the company's canned pineapple production is a labor-intensive industry, very dependent on labor, and needs a large number of laborers to support the entire industrial chain for many years, and the transformation to oil palm planting no longer requires a large number of laborers to support the industry, and secondly, it is easier to manage.
In his conversation with reporters, he did not mention any rumors of land expropriation at the pineapple factory. The late Dr. Lee Kong Chian and his brother-in-law Lim Chung-kwok acquired the Pineapple Factory in 1930 and renamed Lee Pineapple which developed into the "King of Pineapples". After World War II, the second-generation successor Dr. Lee Cheng Chi and the Skudai factory, a pre-war building, continued to operate for the past 92 years, continuing the "king" spirit of Lee Kong Chian's pineapple industry. According to the company's official website, the Company mainly produces canned pineapples, including circle pineapples, pineapple juice, less sugar and chili flavored pineapples, etc. Canned pineapples are not only sold in Malaysia and Singapore but also exported to the United States, Europe, Japan and the Middle East and other countries.
read more
The long-established Lee Pineapple will stop production at the end of the year, and netizens deeply regret it
On Lunar New Year, the Company will open its doors for a month to allow people to buy processed pineapple products in the factory
The 92-year-old Lee Pineapple is about to transform into oil palm planting, and the canned pineapple processing plant located in Skudai, Johor will no longer produce canned pineapples at the end of this year, which has attracted attention from all walks of life and netizens are also deeply regretted.
It is understood that the Company, which is well-known in Malaysia and Singapore, has its factory suspended from July 7 to August 30 and is currently in the limited production stage. It is reported that the Company began to engage in the pineapple industry in 1931, from planting, harvesting to production.
The late Dr. Lee Kong Chian and his brother-in-law Lim Chung-kwok acquired the Pineapple Factory in 1930 and renamed Lee Pineapple, which developed into the "King of Pineapples". The Scudai factory was a pre-war building that continued to operate for the past 92 years, continuing the "king" spirit of Lee Kong Chian's pineapple industry.
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Lee Pineapple: From our hands to yours
Lee Pineapple: From our hands to yours
Lee Pineapple was founded by Singaporean businessman Lee Kong Chian, who was known as both the “Rubber King” and “Pineapple King”. Today, we continue this time-honoured tradition of growing our own pineapples on our estates in Johor, Malaysia, and cutting and juicing them at our own factory only an hour away. So whether you eat our pineapples fresh, or out of a tin, we hope you enjoy their delicious tropical sweetness.
We have been “pineapple specialists” since 1931. Our pineapples are meticulously cared for from start to finish. Our business is vertically integrated. We develop our own hybrids, which are grown in nutrient-rich peat soil, and nourished by the rain and equatorial sunshine. Our pineapples are harvested by hand and driven an hour from our estates to our factory every morning. They reach you still bursting with their own sun-ripened sweetness. Whether you eat our pineapples fresh or from a tin, we are very proud of them, and are looking forward to sharing them with you.
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Iconic Tupperware since 1946 warns it could go out of business
Shares of the iconic 77-yr-old company, founded in 1946, plunged nearly 50 per cent on April 10
Kitchenware staple Tupperware is teetering on the brink of collapse, with its shares plunging nearly 50 per cent on Monday, the largest drop on record, to notch an all-time low. Investors were spooked after the company said last Friday it had hired financial advisers “to help improve its capital structure and remediate its doubts regarding its ability to continue as a going concern.”
Tupperware experienced a sizzling run-up during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, with its share price soaring to US$37 as the lockdown boosted kitchenware sales. It has fallen on harder times since then, with the company blaming cash constraints caused by higher interest costs. The 77-year-old brand has struggled to shake its staid image and attract younger shoppers in the face of new competition, while demand for home products has fallen. Tupperware said it was working to find financing to stay in business, but that it wouldn’t have enough cash to fund operations if it failed to do so.
It is also working with Moelis & Co. and Kirkland & Ellis to explore options for its nearly US$700 million (S$933 million) in long-term debt. And it’s looking at its real estate portfolio for opportunities to streamline the company and have more cash on hand. BLOOMBERG
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Finding Joy in a space in which 'Joy' was bottled
Bottleful of Joy to the World
Disused spaces bring great joy, even as in the case of the former National Aerated Water Co’s bottling plant at 3MS Serangoon Road, the paraphernalia associated its use has long been removed. There is much to learn from the spaces, especially those that were conceived with little in way of frills in an age of greater simplicity. The disused plant, fronted by an art-deco-esque 2-strorey structure placed along a thoroughfare that would have been hard to miss, last saw use some two decades ago. Associated with the bottling of popular soft-drink labels, Sinalco, Kickapoo Joy Juice (the joy in a green bottle that was the comic strip inspired) & Royal Crown Cola, there are many now who look back fondly at the now empty building that is one of few constants in an area that has seen much change.
The good news we heard just last week was that a portion of the former plant – its front – is being conserved. Selangor Dredging purchased the site for residential redevelopment just last year and has over the year been working with the URA on the conservation of the former plant’s most recognisable feature and its face – the art-deco main building.
The factory, of a 1954 vintage, last saw operations some two decades ago. Built at a time of increasing demand for soft drinks, the home-grown company’s new plant found immediate success. The investment in the state-of-the-art factory and bottling equipment on the company’s 25th Anniversary was motivated by Sinalco’s 1952 award of exclusive bottling and distribution rights. An interesting nugget of information was shared by the URA about the rather peculiar name of the German drink was that it was derived from the words “sine alcohol” or without (in Latin) alcohol. More on the plant and the company can be found in a previous post: Losing its fizz: the third milestone without the former National Aerated Water plant.
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The good news we heard just last week was that a portion of the former plant – its front – is being conserved. Selangor Dredging purchased the site for residential redevelopment just last year and has over the year been working with the URA on the conservation of the former plant’s most recognisable feature and its face – the art-deco main building.
The factory, of a 1954 vintage, last saw operations some two decades ago. Built at a time of increasing demand for soft drinks, the home-grown company’s new plant found immediate success. The investment in the state-of-the-art factory and bottling equipment on the company’s 25th Anniversary was motivated by Sinalco’s 1952 award of exclusive bottling and distribution rights. An interesting nugget of information was shared by the URA about the rather peculiar name of the German drink was that it was derived from the words “sine alcohol” or without (in Latin) alcohol. More on the plant and the company can be found in a previous post: Losing its fizz: the third milestone without the former National Aerated Water plant.
read more
