Chiquita Salutes Champions of Healthy Nutrition

CINCINNATI, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) asks you to nominate the everyday athletes, teams and coaches of all ages and competition levels, who excel at what they do, to be named Chiquita Champions™.

"Chiquita's passion is to empower our consumers with products that enable them to make a healthy decision in their daily diet, and give them the fuel they need for optimum performance," said Brian Kocher, president, Chiquita Brands North America.  "We've established this award program to honor the athletic achievements of the champions who make Chiquita bananas a part of their nutrition regimen. They are champions our consumers know best: family members, friends and neighbors."

Chiquita launched the Chiquita Champions awards program in May, accepting nominations for athletes, teams and coaches. Thus far 55 winners have been selected, each story offering a unique perspective on what a champion can achieve, including:

• Donna Pearring, or "Coach P" as she is known in Annandale, Va., where the 47-year-old basketball coach finished her last season with the Flames after coaching the girls from first through eighth grade. Her favorite way to enjoy a Chiquita banana: just peel and eat.
• Russell Loy, who at age 69 makes sure he packs a Chiquita banana along as the state record-breaking cyclist trains; it is an activity the Cockeysville, Md., resident became competitive at when he turned 49.  
• The Fire FC Premier '97 Girls from Grand Junction, Colo. - the soccer team of 13-year-olds became the first in their area to make it to the Colorado State Cup semi-finals and then go on to win the State Cup. Chiquita bananas help them fuel up for games.  

From softball and soccer to marathon running and roller skating, 25 sports are currently represented in the program. Consumers can access all of the stories at ChiquitaChampions.com™ or submit a video or photo of their nominee's shining moments and provide a brief explanation of why that person (or team) is a Chiquita Champion.

Every month, both individual and team winners from each of 12 regions in North America are named Chiquita Champions and receive a custom Chiquita Champions athletic gear award package. Non-professional or non-collegiate athletes, teams or coaches are eligible to win and will be judged by the selection committee for Chiquita Champions within the context of the age and competition level in which they participate, based on the level of achievement as compared with peers.

Want to see what else Chiquita is up to? "Like" our Chiquita Banana page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. To see other good news you might have missed, visit our online newsroom, or check out www.chiquita.com.

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 21,000 people and has operations in nearly 80 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit our corporate website at www.chiquitabrands.com.

SOURCE Chiquita Brands International, Inc.