Kimo had a meeting with our banana workers who were to be the first laid off because of our plan to shut down our banana operation. Our next step was to talk to the workers in order to see who was interested in another job at the farm.

But the workers surprised us at that second meeting by initiating a conversation about whether it was possible to keep part of the banana farm in operation.

Our main problem had been that we could not get enough workers to keep the essential jobs on schedule. Under those conditions, and coupled with rising fertilizer and other costs, our results were low yields and poor production. But it became apparent that—with the people who were interested in keeping the farm going—we could keep a certain amount of the Williams bananas in efficient operation.

Kimo told me what took place at that second meeting and I immediately told him that if the workers were interested, we could close the apple banana fields and keep the best of the Williams banana fields in operation. Everybody agreed.

So now we are planning to continue some of our banana production in a new, streamlined mode. I cannot describe how impressed I am that the workers are interested in doing this. We’ll do all we can to make it work.