Alexander & Baldwin

Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.
Company type	Public company
Industry	Real estate, land management, construction materials, agriculture (formerly sugarcane)
Founded	1870
Founder	Samuel Thomas Alexander and Henry Perrine Baldwin
Headquarters	Honolulu, United States
Area served	Hawaii
Products	Real estate properties, construction materials, formerly sugarcane and pineapple products

Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. is a U.S.-based corporation that was once among the Big Five companies during Hawaii’s territorial period. Its operations span real estate, land management, and construction materials. Notably, it was the final "Big Five" entity to engage in sugarcane cultivation. As of 2020, it remains one of Hawaii’s predominant private landowners, possessing more than and 36 income-generating properties across the state.

The company’s main office is located in downtown Honolulu within the Alexander & Baldwin Building, constructed in 1929. Its sugarcane heritage is highlighted at the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum.

Pre-annexation period

In 1831, medical missionaries Dwight Baldwin and Charlotte Fowler Baldwin were dispatched to Hawaii by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Their sons, Samuel Thomas Alexander and Henry Perrine Baldwin, established Samuel T Alexander & Co. in 1870 by acquiring a 561-acre tract on Maui dedicated to sugarcane farming.

Understanding the critical need for irrigation in the region’s dry climate, Samuel Alexander designed a 17-mile aqueduct channeling water from the rainforests of Haleakalā to the plantation, finalized in 1878. The enterprise was renamed Alexander & Baldwin Plantation and expanded its land holdings and sugar mill operations between 1872 and 1900. In 1898, it gained majority control of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S), and by 1899 had ownership over Maui’s primary railroad infrastructure. The firm incorporated as Alexander & Baldwin, Ltd. in 1900.

Big Five period

Following incorporation, Alexander & Baldwin emerged as a key member of Hawaii’s Big Five companies, managing over 100,000 acres and broadening its business ventures. In 1905, it took control of California and Hawaiian Sugar Company (C&H), thereby securing sugar refining capabilities. The company expanded its sugar plantations on Maui and Kauaʻi while also entering the pineapple industry.

In 1908, Alexander & Baldwin purchased a stake in Matson Navigation Company, enhancing its shipping operations. During the 1930s, it consolidated Maui sugar activities under Hawaii Commercial & Sugar Company but continued pineapple farming and Kahuku sugar production into the 1960s.

After World War II, diversification efforts led to land development through its subsidiary Kahului Development Co., later renamed A&B Properties, Inc. By 1962, Alexander & Baldwin fully acquired Hawaii Commercial & Sugar Company. It bought out Matson Navigation interests from other Big Five firms by 1964 and achieved complete ownership in 1969, making Matson a wholly owned subsidiary.

Diversification

Beginning in the 1980s, Alexander & Baldwin’s real estate and development division grew by launching new residential and commercial projects on its properties. The company also diversified agriculturally by cultivating coffee and macadamia nuts, expanding its product offerings.

Matson spinoff

In 2012, Alexander & Baldwin separated Matson Navigation Company—an investment held for 140 years and fully owned since 1969—into an independent public entity based in Honolulu. This strategic decision aimed to streamline A&B’s focus on core business areas while allowing Matson to operate autonomously.

Conclusion of Sugar Operations

On January 6, 2016, Alexander & Baldwin declared the cessation of sugar cultivation on Maui, with its final sugar mill shutting down by the end of that year. The company shifted its focus from the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company to a more diversified agricultural model. In December 2018, A&B transferred ownership of its former sugar plantation lands to Mahi Pono, LLC, which continues to advance agricultural activities in the region. By 2025, Alexander & Baldwin intends to prioritize commercial real estate ventures in Hawaii, marking a strategic move toward sectors with higher profitability.

Criticism

Prior to halting sugar production in 2016, Alexander & Baldwin encountered opposition from Maui residents concerning the pre-harvest field burning conducted by its subsidiary, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S). HC&S managed approximately 35,000 acres of sugarcane on Maui and routinely burned around 400 acres weekly between March and November to eliminate dry leaves before harvesting. The company maintained that burning was the only cost-effective method available for this purpose. Nonetheless, environmental advocates and medical professionals associated the smoke with increased asthma and other respiratory ailments, particularly affecting children, as well as the emission of carcinogens due to burning PVC irrigation pipes. The resulting smoke also led to highway closures and traffic accidents. Local organizations petitioned A&B to implement environmentally friendlier harvesting techniques, submitting in 2012 a petition with 8,700 signatures to the Hawaii Department of Health requesting denial of the company’s burn permit.

The Puunene Mill faced additional scrutiny for failing to comply with federal air quality standards, as its heavy reliance on coal generated hazardous sulfur dioxide emissions.

There were reports from some activists of threats or physical confrontations involving HC&S workers and members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which advocated for continued cane burning on behalf of A&B.

Maui-based author Tim Parise satirized the company's farming methods and founders’ history in his novel Totum Hominem.

Businesses Owned by Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.

A&B Properties, Inc. (real estate development and management)
Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (sugar division; operations ended in 2016; lands sold to Mahi Pono, LLC in 2018)
East Maui Irrigation Co., Ltd. (oversees historic irrigation systems)
Maui Brand Sugars (producer of unrefined sugar; ceased production in 2016)
Grace Pacific (paving and quarry operations; acquired in 2013)
A&B Fleet Services (fleet maintenance and trucking services)
Kahului Trucking & Storage

External links