Chiquita Brands International Inc. is a distributor and producer of American bananas. The company also operates under a number of complementary brands. Chiquita is the leader in the distribution of bananas on the United States market. The company is a daughter of the United Fruit Company, founded in 1899 and already famous for having a monopoly on the South American market (the famous bananas republics) and immediately at the center of episodes of exploitation.

Since the middle of the last century Chiquita has been guilty of having financed several armed forces and popular armies in various countries of South America (for example the FARC, Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces), coming to support also coups d'état, such as that of 2009 in Honduras.

In March 2007, Chiquita was fined $ 25 million following a negotiation with the US Department of Justice, which accused the brand of having connections with many paramilitary groups in Colombia.

According to court documents, between 1997 and 2004, Chiquita officials would have offered roughly $ 1.7 million to United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) in exchange for protecting local workers in gathering areas of company property. Similar payments were also concluded with the FARC and, between 1989 and 1997, also with the National Liberation Army (ELN), both left-wing organizations. All three organizations mentioned above fall under the heading of the US Department under the heading "Foreign terrorist organizations". Chiquita managed to prevent the US government from spreading documents related to these scandals.