Most of the pineapple in Hawaii is grown at elevations below 3000 feet. Good fruit quality is attributed to areas having a combination of relatively cool night temperatures, a high percentage of sunny days and day temperatures ranging from 70 - 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

In Hawaii, pineapple is grown year-round. To prepare the field for planting, the soil is fumigated and covered with black plastic mulch. The plastic mulch serves a number of purposes. It confines the fumigant, helps hold in moisture, controls weeds and pests and heats the soil to stimulate root growth. Once the field is prepared, the planting process begins.

The green, leafy top of the pineapple, called the crown, is the preferred planting material used in Hawaii. Each crown is planted by hand. Using a spade-shaped tool, the planters dig a shallow hole through the plastic mulch, then place the bottom of the crown directly in the hole. A skilled planter can plant over 10,000 pineapples a day, or nearly ½ an acre.

To irrigate the fields, a tube is placed between the rows of pineapple. When water is needed, it is dripped from the tubes directly onto the root. Fertilization is done by spraying a mixture of liquid nitrogen and iron directly on the plant.

Harvesting is also done by hand. The first crop, called a "plant crop", takes about 20 months. The next crop called the "first ratoon" takes another 15 months. To harvest the pineapple, a crew of workers will walk through the rows of pineapple, twisting off the fruit and placing it on a boom conveyor. The fruit then moves along the conveyor to an infield harvester where the fruit is graded and packed in cartons. Even in the hot summer months, the workers must wear heavy clothing, gloves and mesh goggles to protect themselves from the sharp, rigid leaves of the pineapple plant. After the last crop is harvested, the field is knocked down and a new cycle begins.