An edible member of that hardy Bromeliad family, a juicy  pineapple can be eaten sliced, diced, juiced or skewered; baked, fried ,stewed or frozen; chunked, jellied, crushed, or jammed; in marmalades, chutneys, candies or smoothies. These prickly plants produce  an amazingly versatile fruit.
Introduced into Europe by Christopher Columbus in the 1500’s, pineapples were a sensation. The cannibals on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe where Columbus first saw pineapples, had already found them very good as a tenderiser and sweetener for their stews and bbqs. Bad luck for them when the King of Spain heard of their liking for eating the neighbours - he declared them savages to be exterminated. The Spanish being good at extermination, wiped them out in no time at all!
Pineapples survived and these days go well in lots of other sorts of dishes. Ham and pineapple pizza;  cold meat salads, fruit salads of course and lots of variations of cakes and slices.
Pineapples need a tropical climate to grow and are propagated either by suckers from the base of the main plant or by planting the spiky bit cut from the top of the fruit.
In Australia, the Golden Circle Company in Queensland has been the number one pineapple processor for over 60 years. Set up by farmers, it became an Australian icon and success story until the last few years as “globalisation” has started to bite. Cheaper imported pineapple from Thailand and the Philippines have eroded their market share.
Trying to survive, the Golden Circle grower co-op is trying various strategies .They have become a public company and are borrowing heaps of money to stay afloat. They have been through several chief executives and the last one (on a salary of $800,000 pa) couldn’t  walk on water  so he’s out the door.
The latest strategy sees all grower contracts to supply the factory cancelled. Pineapples are now bought at spot prices which, no surprise, are below the cost of growing the fruit.
Another sector of Australian industry feeling the rough end of the globalisation pineapple. Getting sliced, diced, juiced and skewered.