At Production

In Dole, we work hard to maintain and develop professional and ethical standards across all our worldwide operations. We continually focus on our commitment to responsible business practices in every aspect of our stakeholder relationships while also protecting human rights like equal opportunity, safe and healthy working environments, fair employment practices, freedom of association, collective bargaining agreements among many others. Dole plc operates globally and has established meaningful ties with local communities in many regions. Over the decades Dole has supported the development of these communities in many tangible ways. We identify our community stakeholders and get to know their concerns, prioritizing the most important or relevant issues to focus our involvement and available resources.

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A Case In Point- The Dale Foundation

Health, education, and entrepreneurship are core focus areas for Dole's community development. Dole’s DALE Foundation (pronounced DAH-leh) carries out important work in the social field. Since 2001, the foundation has channeled over $41 million to fund numerous educational, medical, and community development programs in South America. Jointly funded by Dole and independent growers, the DALE Foundation provides a network of medical resources, such as primary healthcare via on-staff physicians, nurses and dentists, education on preventative health care, vaccination access and important on-site mobile medical clinics. From an educational perspective, the foundation helps contribute to the construction of schools, improvements to existing facilities and advancing nutrition programmes. Additionally, through community investments, DALE helps deliver technical training to develop skills that enable participants with the potential to generate extra household income such as sewing, baking, and gardening.

Making a Difference in the Marketplace

Dole’s local, on-the-ground presence in key markets across Europe and North America sets us apart. With international reach comes immense responsibility. Circumstances and conditions in communities can differ, so too can our role; employer, customer, partner, supplier, promoter, neighbour. Irrespective of the function we play locally, our commitment remains consistent; to act with integrity, to be transparent, to be a positive and to be a constructive influence on people’s everyday lives. In the marketplace we are committed to

  • Contributing to the communities in which we trade; being a good neighbour, respecting local cultures, traditions and laws, playing an active part in wider society.
  • Implementing best sustainable practices throughout our local operations and engaging with local sustainability initiatives such as the Origin Green programme in Ireland.
  • Promoting general health & well-being; Educating, inspiring and empowering consumers to make healthier dietary and lifestyle choices.
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A Case in Point: The Incredible Edibles Programme in Ireland

It is widely recognised that our tastes and consumption behaviour as adults can largely be traced back to our childhood. Dole is proud to support a number of initiatives across the world dedicated to educating, encouraging and inspiring young people to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. One such initiative is Agri Aware’s Incredible Edibles programme in operation in primary schools across Ireland. Dedicated to promoting fresh produce to children in a fun, engaging and practical way, the programme is designed to providing children with a better understanding of the importance of fresh produce by giving them practical experience of growing fruits and vegetables at school and teaching children the importance of eating seven or more portions of fruits and vegetables every day.

Each year over 1,300 schools and 48,000 students in Ireland participated in the Incredible Edibles programme with each school receiving Growing Starter Kits for participating classes. These include: Compost, Recyclable Planting Pots, Seed Packs for Spinach, Turnip, Chives, Carrots and Lettuce, Seed Potatoes, Strawberry Plants, Bottle-top Waterers, Instructions and Logbooks.

Being an Employer of Choice

From the farmer to the warehouse clerk, it is the diverse experience of our employees who have always shaped our company. We are proud of their passion for making a positive impact on the global supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, and for engaging locally to help improve not only their own lives but also our shared communities. Dole employees, wherever they are geographically located, share a common purpose; providing nutritious, high-quality fresh fruit and vegetables to help feed the world. Together, we take pride in making that happen, every day. Everywhere Dole operates, we have policies that respect human rights and the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. We support our employees with education, training, and good working conditions, and take steps to positively impact their families and the wider communities, too. Dole wants to be viewed as an employer of choice wherever we operate. Dole plc is also committed to the goals of equal opportunity in employment. We aim to provide a work environment for staff that fosters fairness, equity, and respect for social and cultural diversity and that is free from discrimination and harassment. Dole is also an equal opportunity employer. Appointments and promotions are made on the basis of performance and ability.

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A Case in Point: The Dole plc Key Talent Programme

In Dole, we are determined to continue to recruit, develop and retain the very best people within our sector but also to develop the talent already within our organisation, identify potential and help colleagues internationally be all that they can be. One of the key pillars in our strategy in this regard is our Key Talent Programme. Launched in 2018 with initial participants from the USA, Canada, Spain, The Netherlands, Ireland and the UK, the programme is open to high potential employees across our Group. Once accepted onto the programme participants are supported in clarifying their key development needs and career goals incorporating personality profiling and 360 feedback. Each participant is supported by an internal mentor, work in small teams to share experience, complete ‘real life’ strategic projects and present their findings and recommendations to c-suite executives at the second residential event at the end of the programme.