Dole plc facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NYSE: DOLE |
| ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=IE0003LFZ4U7 IE0003LFZ4U7] |
| Industry | Agribusiness |
| Founded | June 2, 1851 Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Founder | Samuel Northrup Castle Amos Starr Cooke James Dole |
| Headquarters |
,
Ireland
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Key people
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Carl McCann (Chairman) Rory Byrne (CEO) Johan Lindén (COO) |
| Products | Fruit Vegetables Other food products |
| Revenue | US$6.5 billion (2021) |
| $349.1 million (2021) | |
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Number of employees
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38,500 |
Dole plc is a large company that grows and sells fruits and vegetables. It used to be called Dole Food Company and Standard Fruit Company. Today, Dole plc is based in Dublin, Ireland. It is one of the biggest fruit and vegetable companies in the world.
Dole plc has 38,500 full-time and seasonal employees. They sell about 300 different products in 75 countries. In 2021, the company earned $6.5 billion.
The company has about 250 processing plants and distribution centers. It also owns 109,000 acres of farmland. Dole sells many fresh products like bananas, pineapples, grapes, berries, and different kinds of salads. Dole even has its own shipping line with 13 vessels. These ships bring produce to different countries.
You might also see the Dole brand on bottled fruit drinks. PepsiCo sells these drinks under a special agreement. Dole also works with The Walt Disney Company. They encourage kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Contents
How Did Dole Start?
The Early Years: 1851 to 1900
Dole plc began a long time ago. Its roots go back to two different companies. One was Castle & Cooke, started in 1851 in Hawaii. It was founded by Amos Starr Cooke and Samuel Northrup Castle. The other was Charles McCann's market in Ireland, also in the 1850s.
Growing Bigger: 1900 to 1969
In 1899, a man named James Dole moved to Hawaii. In 1901, he started the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (HPC). The company sent its first shipment of canned pineapple in 1903. At first, their products didn't have a special brand name.
In the early 1900s, many people didn't know much about pineapple. So, James Dole and other growers started a big advertising campaign. They put ads in magazines across the United States. This helped people learn about pineapple. By 1927, HPC began putting the "Dole" brand name on its cans. This made sure everyone knew it was a Dole product.
The company also made new machines to help process pineapples. One important machine was the Ginaca Machine, invented in 1911. This machine made it much easier to can pineapples. In 1922, Dole bought the Hawaiian island of Lanai. They turned it into the world's largest pineapple farm. By the late 1920s, Dole grew over 75% of all pineapples worldwide.
During the Great Depression, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company faced financial challenges. In 1932, Castle & Cooke took control of the company. In 1961, HPC became a part of Castle & Cooke and was renamed the "Dole Company." A few years later, Dole started growing fruit in Southeast Asia, like in the Philippines and Thailand.
While Dole was growing, another company was becoming big in the banana trade. This was the Standard Fruit and Steamship Company. It started in 1906. They shipped tropical fruits like bananas and coconuts. The company grew quickly. They bought ships and built railroads in Honduras. Standard Fruit became the largest banana producer in the world by the 1960s. In 1968, Standard Fruit joined with Castle & Cooke.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, the McCann family expanded their business. They opened a store in Dundalk in 1902. In the 1950s, they combined with other companies to form Fruit Importers of Ireland.
Changes and Mergers: 1970 to Present
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In 1985, a billionaire named David H. Murdock bought Castle & Cooke. Dole then bought other food companies. This helped Dole offer more types of fruits and nuts. In 1996, Murdock separated Dole from Castle & Cooke. Castle & Cooke then focused on real estate.
In the early 2000s, Dole had financial difficulties. Murdock helped the company recover.
Around this time, Dole faced lawsuits about a pesticide called DBCP. Courts ordered Dole to pay money to banana workers. However, these rulings were later overturned or settled. Dole also worked to improve its safety practices.
In 2006, a company called Total Produce was created from Fyffes. Total Produce became one of Europe's largest fruit and vegetable companies. It grew by buying other businesses.
In 2012, Dole sold some of its packaged food and Asian fresh produce businesses to a Japanese company called Itochu. In 2013, Murdock bought Dole back as a private company.
In 2018, Total Produce bought a large part of Dole Food Company. Then, in 2021, Total Produce and Dole merged to form Dole plc. Dole plc started trading on the New York Stock Exchange in July 2021.
What Does Dole Do?
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Dole operates on five continents. It owns 109,000 acres of farmland. It also has 13 cargo ships, 5 manufacturing plants, 75 packing houses, and 160 distribution centers. Dole grows its own produce on farms in Central America. Its ships have special refrigerated containers. They also have their own cranes to load and unload goods.
Who Leads Dole?
As of 2021, Rory Byrne is the CEO. Carl McCann is the chairman. Johan Lindén is the chief operating officer.
Where are Dole's Offices?
After merging with Total Produce in 2021, Dole plc has its main world office in Dublin, Ireland. Its main U.S. office is in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Fun Facts About Dole
The Guinness Book of World Records (2007) says the pineapple maze at the Dole Plantation in Oahu, Hawaii is the world's largest maze.
Dole also has a mascot named Bobby Banana. He is a cartoon banana who appears in Dole comics and games for kids.
What Products Does Dole Sell?
Dole sells about 300 different fresh plant foods. These include whole fruits like pineapples, berries, and citrus fruits. They also sell fresh-cut vegetables and salad products. These include greens, salad kits, and shredded vegetables.
Dole's Brand Partners
Dole works with The Walt Disney Company. They put Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars characters on their fruits and vegetables. This helps encourage children to eat healthy foods. For example, you might see stickers of characters on bananas. They also create recipes inspired by Disney films.
The Dole brand is also used by PepsiCo for bottled fruit drinks.
How Dole Keeps Food Safe
Dole grows fruits and vegetables in open fields. So, they have strict rules to keep food safe. They follow special procedures called Good Agricultural Practices. These rules apply to their own farms and farms they work with.
In California, Dole is part of the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA). This is a group of food scientists, safety experts, government officials, farmers, and others. They work together to make sure leafy greens are safe. Dole also uses a "SafetyChain system." This is a phone-based system that helps check food quality on the farm. It helps them quickly report any problems.
Over the years, Dole has sometimes had to recall products. This happens when there are concerns about food safety. They also close and clean their factories if needed. This is usually related to bagged salads and leafy greens.
Food Safety in the 2000s
In 2005, health officials found E. coli in Dole bagged lettuce. This caused illness in some people. In 2006, another E. coli outbreak was linked to spinach packaged under the Dole brand. Dole recalled the spinach.
After the 2006 E. coli outbreak, Dole and others in the fresh produce industry made new, stricter rules. These rules help prevent germs from contaminating food.
Food Safety in the 2010s
In 2012, Dole recalled some salads because salmonella was found. The same year, they recalled bagged salads twice due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. They had another recall for L. monocytogenes in 2014. In 2015, Dole recalled bagged spinach due to salmonella.
In 2016, an outbreak of listeriosis was linked to a Dole plant in Springfield, Ohio. The plant closed for four months. Dole worked to improve its safety procedures. Dole settled some lawsuits related to this outbreak in 2017.
Food Safety in the 2020s
In December 2021, Dole recalled many types of packaged salads. This was due to possible listeria contamination. They closed packaging facilities in Yuma, Arizona, and Bessemer City, North Carolina, for cleaning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated the situation.
See also
In Spanish: Dole Food Company para niños
