In January 1996, the WIBDECO Group acquired the Geest banana business in a 50:50 joint venture with Fyffes. In 2001, Windwards Bananas took over the marketing and distribution of Windward Islands bananas from Geest Bananas, while Geest Bananas provided shipping and ripening services. Currently, Geest Bananas operates a shipping line, providing the banana freight service for bananas from the Windward Islands and the Dominican Republic as well as a backhaul cargo service to the Windward Islands. Windwards Bananas runs its own ripening and distribution operations. The bananas from the Windward Islands are offloaded at Portsmouth and ripened at the facility at Stansted.