Geest Industries
of Spalding, Lincs (truck division)
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Geest plc
1935 Geest Horticultural Products was set up to import bulbs from the Netherlands and treat them in the UK, thereby gaining a time advantage over other Dutch producers[1]
Started to make trolleys and trucks rather than import them, which soon also found markets outside the horticultural business.
Post-WWII set up factory to make boxes in West Africa and developed a shipping business
1954 contracted to buy bananas from the Windward Islands, importing them in leased refrigerated ships and later in its own ships.
By 1968 was operating 8 ships with passenger accommodation - Geest Line[2]
By 1976 the company was Britain's largest importer of bananas as well as being the world's largest grower and distributor of bulbs.
1976 Geest Computer Services acquired 2 more computer bureaux: Cambridge Computer Services and Midland Computing Centre from McAlley, adding to the existing Eastern Computer Services[3]
1977 Set up Geest Minicomputer Systems which would offer Texas Instruments-based minicomputers to its customers[4]
1986 The Geest company was made public
1988 Stassen Ltd changed its name to Geest Industries Ltd
1996 Geest Industries was sold to a Fyffes/WIBDECO joint venture, having disposed of most of its businesses to Geest Foods Ltd[5]