Aguirre Gets an Unfiltered View of Chiquita on 'Undercover Boss,' Sunday, Oct. 31 on CBS

CINCINNATI, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) and CBS jointly announced today that Chairman and CEO Fernando Aguirre will appear on the Emmy-nominated hit reality series "Undercover Boss," Sunday, Oct. 31 (9:00 PM-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.  

"Going undercover inside Chiquita was an eye-opening experience," said Aguirre.  "CEOs don't often have the opportunity to connect with their employees in an unfiltered way, and participating in 'Undercover Boss' helped me achieve that. My family and I have been fortunate to live the 'American Dream' and going undercover helped me see how I can help others live their dreams at Chiquita and Fresh Express."

Each week, "Undercover Boss" follows a different executive as he or she leaves the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their companies. While working alongside their employees, they see the effects that their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organizations and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their companies run.  

"I was astounded to find out that I had been working in the lettuce fields with my CEO," said Leo Urza, harvest coordinator for Chiquita's Fresh Express. "It was a touching experience to see how much he cared about what was happening on the frontlines of our farm operations. Fernando did a good job of helping me core lettuce, but he certainly has a lot of room for improvement. I think you'll see that when watching the show."

During the episode, Aguirre received an exhausting, up-close look at the industry while coring lettuce in the farms fields, driving a forklift at a banana distribution center, drying lettuce in a salad processing facility, and working to dispatch bananas from the largest banana port facility in the United States.

To mark the occasion, Aguirre will visit the New York Stock Exchange to ring The Closing Bell® on Oct. 28, 2010 at 4:00 PM ET. For more information on Aguirre's undercover journey and Chiquita Brands International, visit our new Facebook page dedicated to "Undercover Boss" at www.facebook.com/Chiquita.  

A native of Mexico, Aguirre and his family became U.S. Citizens in 2009, and he is the first Hispanic leader to participate on "Undercover Boss." Additional companies participating in the Second Season include the Chicago Cubs and Lucky Strike Lanes – as well as the recently featured Choice Hotels, Great Wolf Resorts, Frontier Airlines and NASCAR.

About Fernando Aguirre

Fernando Aguirre is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chiquita Brands International, Inc., where he assumed the leadership role in January 2004. Prior to Chiquita, Aguirre worked for more than 23 years at Procter and Gamble (P&G).  Aguirre is a member of the board of directors of the Levi Strauss & Co. and of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and he was recently invited to join Duke University's Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE). A native of Mexico, Aguirre obtained a baseball scholarship to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 in business administration. He was elected to SIUE's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 and to the Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009. Aguirre also attended the prestigious YPO Harvard President's seminar for ten years earning HBS graduate status in 2009. In 2010, Aguirre was awarded the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's INSPIRACION award. Aguirre is married and has two sons, ages 22 and 18. He plays golf and is certified as an open water scuba diver.  

About Undercover Boss 

CBS's reality series UNDERCOVER BOSS was the Emmy-nominated No. 1 new series of the 2009-10 season and, in its second season, is averaging more than 13 million viewers. Stephen Lambert, Eli Holzman and Chris Carlson are executive producers for Studio Lambert.  

About Chiquita Brands International, Inc.

Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) is a leading international marketer and distributor of high-quality fresh and value-added food products – from energy-rich bananas and other fruits to nutritious blends of convenient green salads.  The company markets its healthy, fresh products under the Chiquita® and Fresh Express® premium brands and other related trademarks.  With annual revenues of $3.5 billion, Chiquita employs approximately 23,000 people and has operations in nearly 80 countries worldwide.  For more information, please visit www.chiquitabrands.com.

SOURCE Chiquita Brands International, Inc.