From their nineteenth-century beginnings in the jungles of Costa Rica to reaching the halls of power in Washington, D.C, from the mass-marketing of the banana as the first fast food, to fostering covert links with the CIA and involvement with a bloody coup in Guatemala, the United Fruit Company pioneered the growth of globalisation and created the blueprint for how corporations could wield influence and power, at any cost.

In this compelling history of the United Fruit Company, Peter Chapman weaves together a dramatic tale of big business, deceit and violence, exploring the origins of one of the most controversial global corporations ever.