Pineapple is a fruit native to South America. Christopher Columbus delivered pineapples to Europe after one of his expeditions. They began to grow them on a large scale in Hawaii at the beginning of the 19th century. The development of the “pineapple” industry peaked in the 1950s, then gradually declined under pressure from international competition. Today, the bulk of the world pineapple harvest is in Thailand, the Philippines, and Brazil. Traditional pineapple uses include brewing and winemaking, as well as medicine.