What is ‘pineapple thinking’?

In high summer I enjoyed the blistering heat of Southern England. But, with temperatures over and above anything the Med is able to offer, there was always that sense of foreboding, suggesting the inevitable hose pipe bans, manifesting how this weather is part of a global shift.

As a cup half full kind of a guy, I hunt down the silver linings.

In this instance, it is the quality of Kentish wine.

It is not just the quality, but the sheer the number of vineyards bursting onto the scene (we have our French ‘cousins’, in the shape of Taittinger, investing heavily not five minutes from Macknade) that is impressive.

Whilst to some this is the ‘canary in the mine’, from another angle it is a wonderful counterbalance, illustrating the ingenuity and skill set found across our agricultural sector here in the Garden of England, which is reflective of the importance of farming to us as a nation, adapting to and innovating through truly challenging times.

Thinking about innovation often takes us down a digital pathway to the altar of the ‘tech gods’, and catching a recent discussion on ‘pineapple design’ was so simply satisfying.

The idea of ‘design thinking’ in solving problems is something I am hearing more and more about, and it is exciting.

The beauty of this process is it is simple, provides immediate impact and is open to all. Its biggest barrier is so often cultural norms, apathy and the safety of status quo.

What blew my mind was that pineapple producers stopped, looked at how they could make savings and lower the impact of their fruit (particularly when considering the need for global export) and redesigned their approach, chopping off the pineapple crown (leaves).

Of course the pineapple, and its very proud crown, have all manner of symbolic significance to us British consumers. 

Perhaps, most of all, the aesthetically pleasing green leaves, sitting proudly above the textured body of the fruit, shouting ‘tropical’, far-away places, sunshine, relaxation, and good times, are a hugely important part of the pineapple ‘logo’… the marketing department so to speak.

But chopping them off got rid of waste at source and created economic value (the fibres could be processed en masse). The lower weight led to slashed emission in transport as less space was required for more fruit, reducing impact through less packaging. The panacea of delivering lower wastage and higher margins was achieved!

The downside? How do we sell the tropical promise of a pineapple without its bold green crest?

And that is where design thinking has to work hand in hand with status quo culture-busting – setting out a brave new future of what the visual impact of the pineapple can really mean to us.

On buying a pineapple, I am drawn by its colours and textures. But once home and ready to eat it, my first step is to thwack off the crown, cut off the peel, and enjoy that rich sweet flesh. I don’t need the crown. It adds nothing more than a perceived value.

If we are able to manage our cultural expectations and traditions (often based on no logical reasoning) and address them with a clarity aligned to actually improving our world whilst losing none of the true satisfaction, then the use of design thinking and reshaping how we live offers truly exciting outcomes for us all.

Hack off those crowns and let the pineapple, in all its crestless glory, be our new symbol of a better thought through world.