Editing Dole plc

{{short description|Irish multinational food corporation}}
{{use American English|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Dole plc
| logo = Dole Foods Logo Green Leaf.svg
| logo_size = 300
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| traded_as = {{NYSE|DOLE}}
| ISIN = {{ISIN|sl=n|pl=y|IE0003LFZ4U7}}
| genre = 
| foundation = {{start date and age|1851|6|2}}<ref name="dole">[http://www.dole.com/CompanyInfo/About/History.jsp Dole: Company History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117163821/http://www.dole.com/CompanyInfo/About/History.jsp |date=November 17, 2007 }} (Retrieved November 29, 2007)</ref><br/>[[Kingdom of Hawaii]]
| founder = [[Samuel Northrup Castle]]<br/>[[Amos Starr Cooke]]<br/>[[James Dole]]
| location_city = [[Dublin]]
| location_country = Ireland
| location = <!-- this parameter modifies "Headquarters" -->
| origins = 
| key_people = Carl McCann ([[chairman]])<br/>Rory Byrne ([[CEO]])<br/>Johan Lindén ([[Chief Operating Officer|COO]])
| industry = [[Agribusiness]]
| products = Fruit<br/>Vegetables<br/>Other food products
| services = 
| revenue = US$6.5 billion (2021)<ref name=yahoo/>
| operating_income = 
| profit = $349.1 million (2021)<ref name=yahoo/>
| num_employees = 38,500
| parent = 
| divisions = 
| subsid = 
| owner = 
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.doleplc.com|doleplc.com}}
| dissolved = 
| footnotes = 
}}
[[File:Dolejf2103.JPG|thumb|265px|Dole-branded pineapples]]
'''Dole plc''' (previously named '''Dole Food Company''' and '''[[Standard Fruit Company]]''') is an [[Ireland|Irish]]-[[United States of America|American]] [[Agriculture|agricultural]] [[multinational corporation]] headquartered in [[Dublin]], Ireland. The company is among the world's largest [[food industry|producers]] of fruit and vegetables, operating with 38,500 full-time and seasonal employees who supply some 300 products in 75 countries.<ref name="yahoo">{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DOLE/profile?p=DOLE |title=Profile - Dole plc |publisher=Yahoo! Finance |date=15 September 2022 |access-date=15 September 2022}}</ref><ref name="SEC1">{{cite web |title=SEC Form 20-F; Dole plc for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2021 |url=https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0001857475/000185747522000010/dole-20211231.htm |publisher=United States Securities and Exchange Commission |pages=24–25, 38 |access-date=1 June 2022 |date=22 March 2022}}</ref> Dole reported 2021 revenues of $6.5 billion.<ref name=yahoo/><ref name=SEC1/>

As of 2021, the company had approximately 250 processing plants and distribution centers worldwide in addition to {{convert|109,000|acres}} of farmland and real estate. The company operates through four segments: Fresh Fruit (bananas and pineapples; about 35% of 2020 revenues); Diversified Fresh Produce in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; Diversified Fresh Produce in the Americas and other world regions (combined 37% of 2020 revenues); and Fresh Vegetables (29% of 2020 revenues).<ref name=yahoo/><ref name="dole-about">{{cite web |title=Dole plc: Our Commercial Strengths |url=https://www.doleplc.com/about/our-commercial-strengths |publisher=Dole plc Corporate Website |access-date=15 September 2022 |date=2022}}</ref> Dole grows and markets bananas, pineapples, grapes, berries, deciduous and citrus fruits, and vegetable salads.<ref name=dole-about/> Dole operates a 13-vessel shipping line for importing its produce and exporting third-party goods to Latin America.<ref name=SEC1/><ref name=dole-about/><ref>{{cite news|author=Manion BC|date=21 September 2021|title=Port Tampa Bay's impact is far-reaching|work=The Laker/Lutz News|accessdate=1 June 2022|url=https://lakerlutznews.com/lln/2021/09/91655/}}</ref>

The multinational company [[PepsiCo]] sells bottled fruit beverages under [[license]] using the ''Dole'' brand.<ref name="pepsi">{{cite web|url=https://www.pepsicopartners.com/pepsico/en/USD/OTHER-BRANDS/DOLE%C2%AE/c/brand_dole?source=brand_otherbrands&root=beverages|title=Pepsico partners|publisher=PepsiCo|date=2022|accessdate=6 November 2022}}</ref> Dole has a [[comarketing]] agreement with [[The Walt Disney Company]] to encourage the public, including children, to consume fruits and vegetables.<ref name="tpn">{{cite web |title=Dole-Disney partnership: The one time you want a mouse on your produce |url=https://theproducenews.com/dole-disney-partnership-one-time-you-want-mouse-your-produce |publisher=The Produce News |access-date=6 November 2022 |date=19 October 2019}}</ref>

==History==
===1851{{endash}}1900: Early years===
{{Main|Castle & Cooke|Total Produce}}
Dole plc traces its origins to the foundation of [[Castle & Cooke]] in 1851, and Charles McCann's Fish, Fruit and Vegetable Market in the 1850s in Ireland.<ref name="Dole1">{{cite web |title=The History of Dole plc |url=https://www.doleplc.com/about/history-growth |website=Dole plc |access-date=2 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Total1">{{cite web |title=History and Growth |url=https://www.totalproduce.com/history-growth/ |website=[[Total Produce]] |access-date=7 June 2022}}</ref> Castle & Cooke, a sugar and logistics company, was founded in [[Hawaii]] by [[Amos Starr Cooke]] and [[Samuel Northrup Castle]].<ref name="Nellist1">{{cite book |editor1-last=Nellist |editor1-first=George F. |title=The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders |date=1925 |url=https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10524/56596 |accessdate=2 June 2022 |publisher=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]] |location=[[Honolulu, Hawaii]] |pages=87–91}}</ref>

===1900{{endash}}1969: Expansion and acquisition===
{{See also|Standard Fruit Company}}
[[File:James Drummond Dole.jpg|thumb|James Drummond Dole founded the Hawaiian Pineapple Company in 1901.]]
[[File:Dole juice newspaper ad.png|thumb|An ad for Dole pineapple juice, circa 1910.]]

In 1899, industrialist [[James Dole]] moved to Hawaii. James was the cousin of [[Sanford B. Dole]], who had helped [[Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom|overthrow the Kingdom of Hawaii]] in 1893, and became the governor of Hawaii in 1898.<ref name="Nisei Veterans Legacy 2022">{{cite web | title=Hawaiian Monarchy Overthrown; Territory of Hawaii | website=Nisei Veterans Legacy | date=2022-08-31 | url=https://www.nvlchawaii.org/hawaiian-monarchy-overthrown-territory-of-hawaii/ | access-date=2023-04-01}}</ref> Two years after James Dole's arrival, he formed the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (HPC). The HPC delivered its first shipment of canned [[pineapple]] in 1903.<ref name="Smith1">{{cite news |title=It's Pineapple Season, But Does Your Fruit Come From Hawaii? |last1=Rhodes |first1=Jesse |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/its-pineapple-season-but-does-your-fruit-come-from-hawaii-5211854/ |work=[[Smithsonian Magazine]] |date=20 March 2013 |accessdate=2 June 2022}}</ref> Early products of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company were not marketed under a particular brand name, often assuming the names of the distributors.{{r|"Hawkins"|page=150}} In the early 20th century, pineapple was still relatively unknown, and James Dole and other growers mounted a marketing campaign in magazines in what the company now refers to as one of the first nationwide advertising campaigns in the United States.<ref name="TT1">{{cite news |title=The Real Reason Americans Often Associate Pineapples With Hawaii |last1=Leigh |first1=Wendy |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/861416/the-real-reason-americans-often-associate-pineapples-with-hawaii/ |work=[[Tasting Table]] |date=12 May 2022 |accessdate=17 May 2022}}</ref> In 1927, the HPC began stamping its cans with the Dole brand name, with numbers to indicate the [[food grading|grade]]. These stamps ensured the Dole name would still be visible even if the label was changed by a distributor.{{r|"Hawkins"|p=154}}

The company made technological advances in the early decades of the 20th century in processing the fruit{{emdash}}most notably the [[Henry Gabriel Ginaca#The "Ginaca Machine"|Ginaca Machine]], created in 1911{{emdash}}that made canning pineapple commercially viable.<ref name="NYT1">{{cite news |title=Perhaps you hadn't heard, but Hawaii almost lost its pineapples |last1=Trumbull |first1=Robert |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/12/21/archives/perhaps-you-hadnt-heard-but-hawaii-almost-lost-its-pineapples.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=21 December 1980 |accessdate=1 June 2022}}</ref> In 1922, Dole purchased the Hawaiian island [[Lanai]] and turned it into the largest pineapple plantation in the world.<ref name="Hawaii1">{{cite news |title=End of an era: Maui Land & Pineapple closing its pineapple operations |last1=Paiva |first1=Derek |url=https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/end-of-an-era-maui-land-pineapple-closing-its-pineapple-operations/ |work=Hawaii Magazine |date=4 November 2009 |accessdate=18 May 2022}}</ref> The same year, Castle & Cooke acquired 33% of the company via lease agreement. In 1927, the HPC began stamping its cans with the "Dole" brand.<ref name="Hawkins">{{cite journal |last1=Hawkins |first1=Richard A. |title=James D. Dole and the 1932 Failure of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company |journal=[[The Hawaiian Journal of History]] |date=2007 |volume=41 |pages=149–170 |url=https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10524/12232/1/HJH41_149-170.pdf |access-date=7 June 2022}}</ref>{{rp|151,154}} By the end of the 1920s, the company grew more than 75% of all pineapples in the world. However, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company struggled to stay financially sound during the [[Great Depression]] and Castle & Cooke took control of it in 1932.<ref name="BT1">{{cite news |title=North Dakota native leads Hawaiian company |last1=Eriksmoen |first1=Curt |url= |work=[[The Bismarck Tribune]] |date=24 January 2016 |accessdate=}}</ref>{{r|"Hawkins"|p=149}} The HPC was renamed the "Dole Company" and became a subsidiary of Castle & Cooke in 1961. Two years later, the company began expanding its fruit growing operations into southeast Asia, opening plantations and canneries in [[the Philippines]] and [[Thailand]].<ref name="NYT1"/>

While the HPC was getting established, the tropical fruit trade was growing in [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]], primarily with the banana trade. One of the major players in that trade, the Standard Fruit and Steamship Company, was established in 1906 by the [[Vaccaro brothers]] and Salvador D'Antoni as Vaccaro Brothers and Company. However, the quartet had been making shipments of tropical fruit such as bananas and [[coconuts]], as well as other items, since 1899.<ref name="Karnes">{{cite book |last1=Karnes |first1=Thomas L. |title=Tropical enterprise : the Standard Fruit and Steamship Company in Latin America |date=1978 |publisher=[[Louisiana State University Press]] |location=[[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana|Louis.]] |isbn=978-0-8071-0395-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/tropicalenterpri00karn |access-date=2 June 2022}}</ref>{{rp|2,4,16}} The firm grew rapidly in its early years, establishing a headquarters in [[La Ceiba]], [[Honduras]], purchasing housing and cargo ships, and building rail and telephone lines at its plantations.{{r|"Karnes"|page=14,16}} The company's rapid growth has been attributed to the destruction of property records in the early 20th century, leading the firm to take control of large swaths of land with the support of the Honduran government.<ref name="Koeppel">{{cite book |author1=Koeppel, Dan |author1-link=Dan Koeppel |title=Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World |date=2008 |publisher=[[Hudson Street Press]] |location=[[New York (state)|New York]] |isbn=9781101213919 |access-date=7 June 2022 |url=https://archive.org/details/bananafateoffrui00koep}}</ref>{{rp|145}} In 1924, the firm went public as the Standard Fruit and Steamship Company.{{r|"Karnes"|page=91-92}} In the 1920s, as [[Panama disease]] was destroying crops of the [[Gros Michel banana]], Standard Fruit began looking for other cultivars to grow, settling on the [[Cavendish banana]]. Switching to the Cavendish allowed Standard Fruit to become the largest banana producer in the world by the 1960s.<ref name="CNBC1">{{cite news |title=The banana business of Chiquita, Fresh Del Monte, and Dole is at risk due to a deadly fungus |last1=Shedd |first1=Karin |url=https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/04/18/bananas-sold-by-chiquita-fresh-del-monte-and-dole-face-extinction-because-of-fungus.html#:~:text=The%20banana%20business%20of%20Chiquita,America's%20favorite%20fruit%3A%20the%20banana. |work=[[CNBC]] |date=19 April 2019 |accessdate=9 June 2022}}</ref> Standard Fruit merged with Castle & Cooke in 1968.{{r|"Karnes"|p=292-293}}

While these companies were forming in the United States, the McCanns expanded their operations in Ireland, opening a store in [[Dundalk]] in 1902.<ref name="II1">{{cite news |title=One of Dundalk's most successful and extraordinary businessmen |last1= |first1= |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/argus/news/one-of-dundalks-most-successful-and-extraordinary-businessmen-26955582.html |work=[[Irish Independent]] |date=3 August 2011 |accessdate=7 June 2022}}</ref> In the 1950s, the McCanns began consolidating with other companies in Ireland, creating United Fruit Importers and then Fruit Importers of Ireland, which became a publicly traded company.<ref name="IT2">{{cite news |title=Elder statesman of Irish business |last1= |first1= |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/elder-statesman-of-irish-business-1.613539 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=30 July 2011 |accessdate=7 June 2022}}</ref>

===1970{{endash}}2000: Expansions, selloffs, and splits===
[[File:David H. Murdock 174-CD-L03-05-19B-006 (cropped).jpg|thumb|200px|David H. Murdock purchased Castle & Cooke in 1985 and split off Dole into its own company in 1996.]]
Ten years after its merger with Standard Fruit, Castle & Cooke acquired Bud Antle Inc., a [[California]]-based vegetable company.<ref name="LAT1">{{cite news |title=California marketers stalk big bucks in celery |last1=Keppel |first1=Bruce |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-08-fi-3155-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=8 October 1988 |accessdate=6 June 2022}}</ref><ref name="NYT2">{{cite news |title=The Big Business of Lettuce |last1=Crittenden |first1=Ann |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/11/27/archives/the-big-business-of-lettuce-growers-stress-brand-names-new.html  |work=The New York Times |date=27 November 1980 |accessdate=2 June 2022}}</ref> However, Castle & Cooke began to struggle financially and was purchased in 1985 by billionaire [[David H. Murdock]].<ref name="WSJ1">{{cite news |title=Dole Food Agrees to $1.2 Billion Buyout Offer |last1=Chaudhuri |first1=Saabira |last2=Jargon |first2=Julie |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323585604579008502351303672 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=12 August 2013 |accessdate=16 March 2022}}</ref> After the purchase, Dole began expanding its offerings by purchasing other food companies, buying several [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] fruit and nut producers and distributors between 1985 and 1990, including Bonner Packing Company in California and Wells and Wade Fruit Company in [[Washington (state)|Washington]].<ref name="Adweek1">{{cite news |title= Dole Wants The Whole Produce Aisle; Branded fruits and vegetables are turning the nation's supermarkets into Dole country |last1=Koepppel |first1=Dan |url= |work=[[Adweek]] |date=20 October 1990 |accessdate=}}</ref> Meanwhile, in Ireland, Fruit Importers of Ireland purchased [[Fyffes]] from [[Chiquita]] in 1986.<ref name="IT2"/>

In 1985, the Hawaiian island of [[Lanai]] passed into the control of Castle & Cooke, which was then the owner of Dole. High labor and land costs led to a decline in Hawaii pineapple production in the 1980s, with Dole phasing out its pineapple operations on Lanai in 1992.<ref name="lanai">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-04-me-553-story.html|title='Pineapple Island' Residents See Way of Life Vanishing: Development: Farming is being phased out on Lanai and resorts are the new economic base. Many islanders prefer the old lifestyle.|last=Dipietro|first=Ben|work=Los Angeles Times|date=4 October 1992|language=en|access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref> 

Murdock separated Dole and Castle & Cooke in 1996, turning the latter into a [[real estate development]] company.<ref name="NYT3">{{cite news |title=Dole Looks to Return to Stock Markets, Again |last1=de la Merced |first1=Michael J. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/business/dealbook/dole-food-company-ipo.html |work=The New York Times |date=25 April 2017 |accessdate=17 May 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Dole freighter in San Juan, Puerto Rico.jpg|thumb|225px|Dole freighter sailing out of [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]]]

===2000{{endash}}present: Recovery and merger with Total Produce===
In the early 2000s, Dole struggled financially and was nearly bankrupt.<ref name="LAT2">{{cite news |title=Dole, the world's largest fresh fruit and vegetable company, is stepping back from Southland |last1=Mohan |first1=Geoffrey |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dole-socal-20170830-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 30, 2017 |accessdate=June 1, 2022}}</ref> Murdock rescued the company, which had been publicly traded, and took it private in 2003.<ref name="WSJ1"/>

During this same period, lawsuits related to the use of the pesticide [[DBCP]] were filed against Dole. The company, along with [[Shell plc|Shell]] and [[Dow Chemical Company]], was ordered by a court in [[Managua]], [[Nicaragua]], to pay banana workers $489.4 million in 2003, but the companies declined to pay the fine.<ref name="NYT4">{{cite news |title=Banana Workers Get Day in Court |last1=Gonzalez |first1=David |last2=Loewenberg |first2=Samuel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/18/business/international-business-banana-workers-get-day-in-court.html |work=The New York Times |date=18 January 2003 |accessdate=9 June 2022}}</ref> In 2007, a California judge awarded $2.3 million to Nicaraguan banana workers who sued Dole for its DBCP use. However, the ruling was overturned in 2010, with another judge noting a lack of evidence connecting the workers to Dole plantations and fraud committed by the plaintiffs' lawyers.<ref name="LAT3">{{cite news |title=Judge throws out verdict awarding millions to Dole workers |last1=Kim |first1=Victoria |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jul-16-la-me-dole-20100716-story.html#:~:text=Putting%20an%20end%20to%20years,on%20American%2Drun%20banana%20farms. |work=Los Angeles Times |date=16 July 2010 |accessdate=17 March 2022}}</ref> Swedish filmmaker [[Fredrik Gertten]] made a documentary about the latter lawsuit, entitled ''[[Bananas!*]]'', which led to a [[defamation]] lawsuit by Dole.<ref name="Reuters1">{{cite news |title=Dole sues "Bananas" documentary maker |last1=Keating |first1=Gina |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-dole-lawsuit-idUSTRE5677C520090708 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=8 July 2009 |accessdate=18 May 2022}}</ref> Dole lost the suit and was ordered to pay the filmmakers [[Swedish krona|SEK]] 1,400,000.<ref name="DN1">{{cite web |last1=Mlik |first1=Nora |title=The movie "Bananas" won against Dole |url=http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/film-tv/-filmen-bananas-vann-mot-dole |website=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |access-date=17 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116171719/http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/film-tv/-filmen-bananas-vann-mot-dole |archive-date=16 January 2013 |language=Swedish |date=16 January 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Gertten made a follow-up [[documentary]] about the defamation suit that premiered in 2012, entitled ''[[Big Boys Gone Bananas!*]]''.<ref name="Ottawa1">{{cite news |title=Free speech, corporate lies and bananas; Hard-hitting documentary tells how Swedish filmmaker and Canadian producer took on the big boys at Dole Food Company |last1=Monk |first1=Katherine |url= |work=[[Ottawa Citizen]] |date=28 January 2012 |accessdate=}}</ref>

Total Produce was spun off from Fyffes in 2006 as a fresh fruit and vegetable business separate from the tropical fruits business of Fyffes.<ref name="Total1"/> Upon establishment, the firm was one of the largest produce companies in Europe, leading in Ireland, [[Spain]], [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], and the [[Czech Republic]].<ref name="IT3">{{cite news |title=Fruitful strategy |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/fruitful-strategy-1.1200598 |newspaper=The Irish Times |access-date=22 July 2022 |language=en |date=6 April 2007}}</ref> In 2007, Total Produce expanded further into the [[United Kingdom]], purchasing British firm Redbridge Holdings for £11.75 million.<ref name="IT4">{{cite news |last1=Keena |first1=Colm |title=Total purchase boosts share price |newspaper=The Irish TImes |date=13 January 2007}}</ref>

In 2009, Dole was sued by families of banana workers in [[Colombia]], who alleged that the company had bankrolled militias that killed thousands of Colombians, including [[trade union]] organizers.<ref name="Cleveland1">{{cite news |title=Suit claims Dole Foods bankrolled Colombian death squads to kill labor organizers, farmers |last1=Meyer |first1=Bill |url=https://www.cleveland.com/world/2009/04/suit_claims_dole_foods_bankrol.html |work=[[Cleveland.com]] |date=28 April 2009 |accessdate=18 May 2022}}</ref> The suit was [[dismissed with prejudice]] the following year.<ref name="Cleveland2">{{cite news |title=Suit linking Dole to Colombia militias dismissed |last1= |first1= |url=https://www.cleveland.com/business/2010/09/suit_linking_dole_to_colombia.html |work=Cleveland.com |date=17 September 2010 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |accessdate=18 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="LABJ1">{{cite news |last1=Crowe |first1=Deborah |title=Worker Lawsuit Against Dole Dismissed |url=https://labusinessjournal.com/retail/colombian-worker-lawsuit-against-dole-dismissed/ |access-date=25 July 2022 |work=[[Los Angeles Business Journal]] |date=17 September 2010}}</ref>

Murdock took Dole public again in 2009, raising $446 million in the process.<ref name="WSJ2">{{cite news |title=Dole Executives Ordered to Pay $148 Million in Buyout Lawsuit |last1=Hoffman |first1=Liz |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/dole-executives-ordered-to-pay-148-million-in-buyout-lawsuit-1440686542 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=27 August 2015 |accessdate=16 March 2022}}</ref>

In 2012, Dole reached a deal to sell its packaged food division and Asian fresh produce operations to the Japanese firm [[Itochu]] for $1.7 billion,<ref name="Reuters2">{{cite news |title=Dole Food sells two businesses to Itochu for $1.7 billion |last1=Sheldrick |first1=Aaron |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-dolefood-itochu-idUSBRE88H01L20120918 |work=Reuters |date=17 September 2012 |accessdate=16 March 2022}}</ref> with the purchase concluding in April 2013.<ref name="fbn">{{cite news |title=Itochu completes purchase of Dole businesses |url=https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/2047-itochu-completes-purchase-of-dole-businesses |access-date=20 October 2022 |work=Food Business News |date=2 April 2013}}</ref> As part of the Itochu deal, the Dole brand continued to be used for some packaged food products worldwide and fresh produce in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, although the Dole Food Company had no business involvement for these products.<ref name=Reuters2/><ref name=fbn/> In August 2013, Murdock reacquired Dole as a private company at a valuation of $1.6 billion.<ref>{{cite news |title=David H. Murdock Completes Acquisition of Dole Food Company, Inc. |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20131101005872/en/David-H.-Murdock-Completes-Acquisition-of-Dole-Food-Company-Inc. |access-date=20 October 2022 |work=Businesswire |date=1 November 2013}}</ref> He and Dole Food Company President Michael Carter were later sued by investors for undervaluing the company during the Itochu deal, and in 2015, a judge in [[Delaware]] ordered the pair to pay shareholders $148 million for intentionally lowering the value of Dole stock prior to the buyout.<ref name="AP1">{{cite news |title=Dole Food CEO, former top exec ordered to pay $148M |last1=Chase |first1=Randall |url=https://apnews.com/article/d22cfad5ae5744f4a0b204fc64783b18 |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=August 27, 2015 |accessdate=May 27, 2022}}</ref>

Total Produce purchased a 45% stake in the Dole Food Company in 2018, and merged with Dole in 2021 to form Dole plc.<ref name="Total1"/><ref name="IT5">{{cite news |title=Total Produce to buy stake in Dole Food Company for $300m |last1=O'Brien |first1=Ciara |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/total-produce-to-buy-stake-in-dole-food-company-for-300m-1.3376427 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=2 February 2018 |accessdate=17 May 2022}}</ref> Dole plc ({{NYSE|DOLE}}) began trading on the [[New York Stock Exchange]] in July 2021.<ref name="CNBC7-1">{{cite news |title=Dole stock slides 9% in public market debut on New York Stock Exchange |last1=Lucas |first1=Amelia |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/30/dole-ipo-stock-falls-6percent-in-market-debut-on-new-york-stock-exchange.html |work=CNBC |date=30 July 2021 |accessdate=18 May 2022}}</ref>

[[Image:Pineapple maze 1.JPG|thumb|Pineapple maze, Dole Plantation, Oahu, Hawaii]]
[[File:Dole Mascots (41848912380) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Bobby Banana and Pinellopy Pineapple in San Diego, 2018]]

==Operations==
Covering five continents, Dole has {{convert|109,000|acres}} of its own farmland, 13 cargo vessels, five [[manufacturing plant]]s, 75 [[packing house]]s and 160 distribution centers.<ref name=dole-about/> Dole is a vertically integrated producer, owning plantations in [[Central America]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wang|first1=Dan|title=Meet Dole, the World's Full-Stack Banana Company|url=https://www.flexport.com/blog/why-dole-owns-container-ships/|publisher=Flexport|access-date=5 January 2016}}</ref> Its container ships are specially equipped with [[refrigerated container]]s, and use their own [[crane (machine)|cranes]] instead of relying on port infrastructure.<ref name=dole-about/><ref>{{cite web|title=Vessels|url=http://www.doleoceancargo.com/vessels.html|publisher=Dole Ocean Cargo|access-date=5 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206002505/http://www.doleoceancargo.com/vessels.html|archive-date=6 December 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Management===
As of 2021, Rory Byrne is CEO, Carl McCann is chairman, and Johan Lindén is chief operating officer.<ref name=yahoo/>

===Headquarters===
Following the 2021 merger with Total Produce, Dole plc has world headquarters in [[Dublin]], Ireland and US headquarters in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]].<ref name=dole-about/>

===Public relations===
The [[Guinness Book of World Records]] (2007) lists the pineapple maze at the Dole Plantation on [[Oahu, Hawaii]] as the world's largest [[maze]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dole-plantation.com/Maze/maze.aspx |title=Dole Plantation – Hawaii's Complete Pineapple Experience – Maze |access-date=2008-02-14 |publisher=Dole Plantation, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121014452/http://www.dole-plantation.com/Maze/maze.aspx |archive-date=2008-01-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

''Bobby Banana'', a [[mascot]] of Dole plc, is an [[anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] [[banana]] who appears in Dole comics and games for children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.producebluebook.com/2022/06/24/dole-surprises-la-youth-art-director-with-everyday-hero-honors/ |title=Dole surprises LA youth art director with 'Everyday Hero' honors |publisher=Produce Blue Book|date=24 June 2022 |access-date=13 October 2022}}</ref>

==Products==
[[File:004 Dole company, banana fruit sticker.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Dole banana fruit label]]

Including [[pineapple]]s, Dole products include some 300 fresh plant foods as whole [[deciduous]] and [[Citrus|citrus fruits]], [[Berry|berries]], and fresh-cut vegetables; salad products include greens, salad kits, and shreds.<ref name=dole-about/><ref name="WSJ3">{{cite news |title=Dole Looks for Deals and Operational Efficiency After NYSE Listing |last1=Trentmann |first1=Nina |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/dole-looks-for-deals-and-operational-efficiency-after-nyse-listing-11640082607 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=21 December 2021 |accessdate=13 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="MW2">{{cite news |title=Dole IPO: 5 things to know about the newly-public fruit and vegetable giant |last1=Garcia |first1=Tonya |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dole-ipo-5-things-to-know-about-the-fruit-and-vegetable-giant-before-it-goes-public-11625835087 |work=[[MarketWatch]] |date=30 July 2021 |accessdate=17 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="VCStar1">{{cite news |title=Irish company Total Produce buys 45 percent stake in Dole Food Co. |last1=Hersko |first1=Tyler |url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2018/02/06/irish-based-total-produce-buys-45-percent-stake-dole-food-co/312295002/ |work=[[Ventura County Star]] |date=7 February 2018 |accessdate=17 May 2022}}</ref>

===Brand licensing===
As of 2022, Dole has a [[brand licensing]] arrangement with [[The Walt Disney Company]] for fruits and vegetables branded with Disney, [[Pixar]], [[Marvel Entertainment|Marvel]], and [[Star Wars]] fictional characters to encourage produce consumption among children, such as using stickers on bananas.<ref name=tpn/><ref name="WaPo1">{{cite news |title=Can Cinderella and Elsa convince kids to eat vegetables?|last1=Bhattarai |first1=Abha |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/10/18/can-cinderella-and-elsa-convince-kids-to-eat-vegetables/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=18 October 2016 |accessdate=7 June 2022}}</ref> The arrangement includes cobranded [[recipe]]s featuring Disney [[film]]s, including ''[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens]]'' and ''[[Frozen II]]''.<ref name=tpn/><ref name="WaPo1"/><ref name="LAT4">{{cite news |title='Frozen 2' will be a box office monster. But can it top the first one? |last1=Faughnder |first1=Ryan |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2019-11-21/frozen-2-big-at-box-office-but-can-it-top-the-first |work=Los Angeles Times |date=21 November 2019 |accessdate=7 June 2022}}</ref>

The Dole brand is also under license with Pepsico for bottled fruit beverages.<ref name=pepsi/>

==Food safety==
As Dole products include fruits and vegetables grown in open fields, Dole uses rigorous [[food safety]] procedures under [[Good Agricultural Practices]] for its own farms and those of contract growers.<ref name="lupo">{{cite web |author1=Lisa Lupo |title=Dole fresh vegetables |url=https://www.qualityassurancemag.com/article/qa1013-dole-safety-fresh-vegetables/ |publisher=Quality Assurance and Food Safety |access-date=21 October 2022 |date=10 October 2013}}</ref> In [[California]], Dole is a certified member of the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA), a collaboration of food scientists and safety experts, government, farmers, shippers, and processors.<ref name=lupo/><ref name="lgma">{{cite web |title=Certified members |url=https://lgma.ca.gov/certified-members |publisher=California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement |access-date=21 October 2022 |date=2022}}</ref> Dole operates a ''SafetyChain system'', which is a cellphone-based process for [[quality assurance]] on the farm (region, grower, and lot number), including immediate reports on non-compliance issues.<ref name=lupo/>

Over decades, Dole has initiated several recalls of its products and shut down manufacturing facilities for cleaning in response to outbreaks of [[foodborne illness]]es, primarily related to bagged salads and leafy greens.

===2000s===
Officials with the [[Minnesota Department of Health]] found [[Escherichia coli O157:H7|''Escherichia coli'' O157:H7]] in Dole bagged lettuce in 2005. The outbreak infected 25 people in [[Minnesota]], [[Wisconsin]], and [[Oregon (state)|Oregon]].<ref name="Produce1">{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Joan |title=Minnesota finds E. coli in lettuce bags |url=http://www.producenews.com/storydetail.cfm?ID=5449 |website=The Produce News |access-date=17 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208032833/http://www.producenews.com/storydetail.cfm?ID=5449 |archive-date=8 February 2009 |date=17 October 2005}}</ref> The following year, an [[2006 North American E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in spinach|''E. coli'' outbreak]] that infected more than 200 people and killed three was traced back to a [[spinach]] processor in California which packaged spinach under the Dole brand.<ref name="SCS1">{{cite news |last1=Parsons |first1=Larry |title=Inside the CDC's report on the deadly E. coli spinach outbreak |url=http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/March/24/local/stories/12local.htm |access-date=8 June 2022 |work=[[Santa Cruz Sentinel]] |date=24 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930203523/http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/March/24/local/stories/12local.htm |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> Dole initiated a [[product recall|recall]] of the tainted spinach.<ref name="WSJ4">{{cite news |title=Listeria Outbreak Linked to Dole Salads From Ohio Facility |last1=Newman |first1=Jesse |last2=Brat |first2=Ilan |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/cdc-links-listeria-outbreak-to-dole-foods-ohio-facility-1453493700 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=22 January 2016 |accessdate=17 March 2022}}</ref>

According to Dole personnel and the California LGMA, this 2006 ''E. coli'' outbreak led 
to harmonizing new rigorous farm and handling practices across the fresh produce industry to minimize microbial contamination.<ref name=lupo/><ref name=lgma/>

===2010s===

Dole recalled its "Seven Lettuces" salads in 2012 after random testing by [[New York (state)|New York]] health officials found ''[[salmonella]]'' in the salads.<ref name="NPR1">{{cite news |title=Dole Recalls Bagged Salads For Salmonella Risk |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=150691482 |access-date=8 June 2022 |work=[[NPR]] |agency=Associated Press |date=15 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501203905/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=150691482 |archive-date=1 May 2012}}</ref> The same year, the company issued two recalls of its bagged salads due to contamination by ''[[Listeria monocytogenes]]''.<ref name="CBS1">{{cite news |title=Dole Italian Blend salads recalled after positive Listeria test |last1=Jaslow |first1=Ryan |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dole-italian-blend-salads-recalled-after-positive-listeria-test/ |work=[[CBS News]] |date=24 August 2012 |accessdate=8 June 2022}}</ref> The company initiated another recall due to contamination by ''L. monocytogenes'' in 2014.<ref name="FSN1">{{cite news |title=Publisher's Platform: Will the Justice Department look at Dole's history of recalls and outbreaks? |last1=Marler |first1=Bill |url=https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2016/05/publishers-platform-will-the-justice-department-look-at-doles-history-of-recalls-and-outbreaks/ |work=[[Food Safety News]] |date=2 May 2016 |accessdate=18 March 2022}}</ref> The following year, Dole recalled bagged spinach due to contamination with ''salmonella'' following safety testing conducted by the [[United States Food and Drug Administration]] at a plant in [[Springfield, Ohio|Springfield]], [[Ohio]].<ref name="USA1">{{cite news |title=Salmonella risk: Dole recalls spinach in 13 states |last1=Bacon |first1=John |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/10/14/dole-recalls-spinach-13-states-due-salmonella-risk/73919444/ |work=[[USA Today]] |date=14 October 2015 |accessdate=8 June 2022}}</ref>

In 2016, an outbreak of [[listeriosis]] tied to the Springfield plant led to the hospitalization of 33 people and four deaths. The plant closed for four months that year, and later reporting revealed Dole knew about the listeria contamination in July 2014, more than a year before the plant's closure. The [[United States Department of Justice]] initiated a criminal probe into the issue.<ref name="NYT5">{{cite news |title=Dole Knew About Listeria Problem at Salad Plant, F.D.A. Report Says |last1=Strom |first1=Stephanie |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/30/business/dole-knew-about-listeria-problem-fda-report-says.html |work=The New York Times |date=29 April 2016 |accessdate=17 May 2022}}</ref> Dole settled two civil lawsuits related to the outbreak in 2017.<ref name="NewsSun1">{{cite news |title=Dole settles civil suits related to listeria outbreak |last1=Sanctis |first1=Matt |url=https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/dole-settles-civil-suits-related-listeria-outbreak/YKUfbJKEGzFWZm6PUL6kUN/ |work=[[Springfield News-Sun]] |date=28 April 2017 |accessdate=8 June 2022}}</ref>

===2020s===
In December 2021, Dole recalled 180 varieties of packaged salad due to possible listeria contamination and closed packaging facilities in [[Yuma, Arizona|Yuma]], [[Arizona]], and [[Bessemer City, North Carolina|Bessemer City]], North Carolina, to sanitize them.<ref name="NPR2">{{cite news |title=Fresh Express and Dole recall hundreds of salad products over listeria concerns |last1=Treisman |first1=Rachel |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/12/23/1067345551/fresh-express-dole-recall-salad-products-listeria-concerns |work=NPR |date=23 December 2021 |accessdate=8 June 2022}}</ref> The outbreak led to an investigation by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] after two people died and 17 became ill.<ref name="CNN1">{{cite news |title=Two dead from Listeria outbreak linked to Dole packaged salads, CDC says |last1=Sealy |first1=Amanda |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/03/us/listeria-dole-packaged-salads/index.html |work=[[CNN]] |date=3 February 2022 |accessdate=8 June 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Official website|https://www.doleplc.com}}{{Finance links
| name = Dole plc
| symbol = DOLE
| reuters = DOLE.N
| bloomberg = DOLE:US
| sec_cik = 1857475
| yahoo = DOLE
| google = DOLE:NYSE
}}

{{Dole Food Company}}
{{Pineapples}}
{{PepsiCo}}
{{banana production}}
{{Authority control|state=expanded}}
{{Portal bar|Hawaii|Los Angeles|Food|Companies}}

[[Category:Dole plc| ]]
[[Category:1851 establishments in Hawaii]]
[[Category:2013 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Agriculture companies of Ireland]]
[[Category:Banana production]]
[[Category:Business in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Companies based in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Dole family]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies established in 1851]]
[[Category:Fruit production]]
[[Category:Multinational companies headquartered in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Multinational food companies]]
[[Category:Pineapple production]]
[[Category:Tax inversions]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1851]]
[[Category:Banana production in the United States]]