| Dole Food Company, Inc. | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Private company |
| Founded | 1851[1] |
| Founder | James Dole |
| Headquarters |  Westlake Village, California, USA |
| Key people | David H. Murdock Chairman[2] |
| Industry | Produce |
| Products | Fruit Vegetables Other food products |
| Revenue | US $89 Million (2006)[2] |
| Employees | 47,000 |
Dole Food Company, Inc. is an American-based agricultural multinational corporation headquartered in Westlake Village, California and is the leading grower and packer of such food items as bananas, pineapples (fresh and packaged), grapes, strawberries, and other fresh and frozen fruits. It is a leader in ready-to-eat packaged salads and other vegetables.
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History
Dole was founded in 1851 in Hawaiʻi as Hawaiian Pineapple Company by James Dole, who opened his first pineapple plantation in the central plateau of the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Today the company does business in over 90 countries and takes in upwards of $5.3 billion in annual revenue. It is owned by billionaire David H. Murdock. The Hawaiian Pineapple Company was later acquired by Castle & Cooke, and was renamed to Dole Food Company, Inc in 1991. Castle & Cooke Inc, a real estate company, was spun off in 1995; it is currently a separate company but is also owned by Murdock. Dole incorporates the Standard Fruit Company, which was acquired by Castle & Cooke between 1964 and 1968. It was then the U.S.'s second largest producer and importer of bananas. Dole and Chiquita remain the top two U.S. banana companies. Historically, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company had a hand in the overthrow of Hawaiʻi's last queen, Liliʻuokalani, and helped the U.S. establish Hawaiʻi as a territory. Sanford Dole, the cousin of James Dole, was briefly president of the Republic of Hawaiʻi in the years immediately following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, in 1893. [3] Dole Food Company, Inc. is member of the SA8000 Social Accountability International (SAI).
Dole also has a plantation in the Philippines and a packing plant in Thailand. PepsiCo holds the rights to Dole's entire juice line.
Mascot
Bobby Banana is a mascot of Dole Food Company. He is an anthropomorphic banana character, who appears in print as well as (at one time) foam incarnations. A foam figure of Bobby Banana was produced for some time, which was eventually discontinued, it seems, because it was seen as being rather phallic. The figure was standing straight up, its body swelling towards the top, and it sported large, rounded shoes at its base.
Dole in pop culture
- Dole stickers could be seen on bananas in the first three games of the Super Monkey Ball series.
References
- ^ Dole: Company History (Retrieved November 29, 2007)
- ^ a b Hoover's: Dole Food Company, Inc. Factsheet (Retrieved November 29, 2007)
- ^ Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq by Stephen Kinzer, 2006
