Ivory Coast dominates the fresh pineapple trade. The export of pineapple products began during Ivory Coast's colonial period, when two processing plants were established with foreign help.^[1]

When Ivory Coast gained independence, the export of pineapple products was less than half that of banana products.^[1] During the 1960s and 1970s, exports grew steadily, and by the early 1970s, the number of pineapple exports had surpassed the number of banana exports.^[1] In the 1980s, Thailand began competing with Ivory Coast, pushing world prices downward.^[1] Economic reforms in Ivory Coast reduced subsidies for several state enterprises and closed others, including Corfruitel, the parastatal in charge of marketing fruits, such as pineapples.^[1] At this time, most pineapple exports were canned pineapples or pineapple juice.^[1] For the reasons highlighted above, exports of these two products had practically disappeared by 1990.^[1]

At this time, much of the Ivorian pineapple industry switched over to fresh pineapple.^[1] In a very advantageous move, it exported these to Europe by sea-freight, using the same refrigerated freighters used for bananas.^[1] Ivory Coast once quasi-monopolised the world market on fresh pineapples, although it no longer enjoys that status once Costa Rica, Honduras, Ghana and other suppliers began developing their share of the industry.^[2]

Ivory Coast is Europe's leading pineapple source, supplying over 200,000 tons of fresh fruit a year, or 60% of the European market.^[3] On the world scale, Ivory Coast is second only to Costa Rica.^[2] Combined, the two produce over 50% of the world's pineapples.^[2]

The Société fruitière du Bandama company created the popular drink Cristelor in 1983.^[4] Described as a delice d'ananas petillant, ("sparkling pineapple delight"), it is popularly called "pineapple champagne".^[4] The company's director, Jean Konan Banny, claimed the idea "came to [him when he thought] to make a wine from pineapples" and was named after his granddaughter, Cristel. He also proposed an alcoholic version of the drink.^[4]

In 1987, scientists at the Institute of Research on Energy Renewal (IREN) studied how to create ethanol from pineapples in Ivory Coast.^[5]