Who owns dole pineapple company

Dole said it hoped to finalize initial terms on the purchase of the Oahu property, called Dole Plantation, by midyear, according to SEC filings. It opened just a decade ago. Dole also will close a packing and cooling facility in Oxnard, laying off workers, most of whom are represented by the United Farm Workers union, the company told state officials this month.

Dole owns and operates some , acres worldwide, according to its prospectus. But precious little of the vast acreage it owns is in the mainland U. The rest of its U. Dole, which holds permits to farm acres on six ranches in the county, could merely be shifting to vegetable crops, which are less labor intensive, Gonzales said.

He noted that the company has advertised for a manager of vegetable production in Oxnard, even as it has said it will close its berry-processing plant there.

Ventura County lost more than jobs in strawberries last year as major companies such as Hiji Brothers and Mandalay Berry Farms shut down their operations there. Since then, the company has increased its acreage in Latin America, where it grows bananas, pineapple and other fruit. By , the company was nearly bankrupt. Starting with the right conditions is an important first step. Good pineapple-growing regions have a combination of relatively cool night temperatures, a high percentage of sunny days, and day temperatures ranging from 70—85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pineapples are also harvested by hand. For the harvest, workers walk through the pineapple rows, dressed in thick gloves and clothing to protect them from the spiky bromeliad leaves. Most Wahiawa pineapples are sold fresh.

Select a pineapple that is plump and fresh-looking. The leaves in the crown should be fresh and green, and the body of the pineapple firm. Ease in pulling leaves from the crown is not a sign of ripeness. Coffee plants generally take seven years to reach full production. Hawaiian coffees are world famous Arabica varietals such as typica, catuai, caturra and mokka.

In the spring, following heavy rains, coffee plants produce small, fragrant white flowers, which last only a couple of days. The fruits grow for six months and slowly change from green to yellow to a glossy deep red at which point the cherries are ready for picking. Harvested cherries must first be wet-milled to remove skins and dried as green bean coffee. Next, the green beans are dry-milled to remove hulls or parchment, classified and bagged for roasting.

In the s, when more than 20, acres of agricultural land were being farmed in the North Shore area, about half were pineapple, and the other half were sugar cane. Workers from China, Japan, and the Philippines lived in plantation villages or camps set up to house them by nationality.

Rising production costs and flat sugar prices caused Waialua Sugar Company to stop production in , after nearly a hundred years in operation. The mill still stands today, home to many of the small, artisanal businesses that are now an integral part of the North Shore economy. These trees traditionally flourish in humid tropical regions in a narrow band 10 degrees above and below the equator.

The company also established a salad plant in Japan in to introduce the packaged product to Japanese consumers. To further diversify its product line, Dole entered the fresh flower market through several major acquisitions in The company bought Sunburst Farms, Inc. The floral industry's growth was attributed in large part to the increased availability of fresh-cut flowers in supermarkets, an arena in which Dole already held a commanding position. Although the company moved forward in its acquisitions and innovations in , Dole faced numerous challenges, some presented by unpredictable weather conditions and others by unstable economic conditions in key markets.

The economic crisis afflicting East Asia significantly affected Dole, as the Asian market had played an important role in Dole's growth in the s. Russia accounted for about 8 percent of the global banana business, and when the Russian economy collapsed in late , Dole lost an important market for its bananas.

Despite Dole's struggles in , the company prepared to continue as the world's largest producer and marketer of fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Dole Fresh Vegetables attained record sales in , and by mid Dole's share of the fresh-cut salad category was Canned pineapple continued to be one of Dole's strongest performers, with a leading market share of 45 percent. In the first half of revenues climbed 15 percent over sales during the same period in , boosted by the acquisition of flower businesses and the investment in SABA Trading AB.

Weak banana pricing affected sales in North America and Europe, however, and Dole's net income for the first half of the year, ending June 19, , was considerably lower than for the same period in During the first half of the s, Dole benefited from an excellent demand in fresh produce worldwide. In fact, the fresh produce market grew at a rate that was above the rate of population growth, which was due primarily to increased retail emphasis on attracting customers with fresh produce; consistent trends in greater consumer demand for healthy, fresh, and convenient foods; and increased retailer area devoted to produce.

However, during this same period of time, Dole continued to suffer from adverse weather and worldwide economic shifts. Its revenues only slightly increased from to Net revenues in were less than in due to a reduction in banana profits caused by a deterioration in the euro-to-U. As a result, performance improvement and cost reduction plans were enacted in the Fresh Fruits and Fresh Flower segments.

These activities helped to improve net income. Fresh Vegetables announced record earnings as a result of reliable growth in the fresh-cut salads business and favorable pricing in the commodity vegetables business.

The canned pineapple business--within Packaged Foods--maintained its 50 percent market share in North America with the introduction of "Fruit Bowls" plastic cups. The beverage business in Honduras returned to normal after Hurricane Mitch. In December, Dole's Florida-based fresh-cut flowers distribution operation was transferred into a new , square-foot building.

Net revenues for were much higher in most of Dole's core businesses primarily as a result of higher prices and volumes for its Premium Select pineapples in North America and Europe; increased volumes for its North American packaged salads business; higher prices and volumes for North American bananas; and increased volumes of its "Fruit Bowls" and "Fruit-n-Gel Bowls" in North America.

These increases were offset by the negative impact on revenues from asset sales and business shutdowns. In , Dole continued its efforts to reduce costs and to eliminate undesirable businesses.

Financial results in were somewhat improved over , with net revenues up while net income went down, being adversely effected by a one-time business reconfiguration charge.

Dole's Fresh Fruit segment received strong returns especially in North America, Europe, and Asia, primarily due to its programs in Premium Select pineapple and organic banana. In Dole's Fresh Vegetables segment, its packaged salads increased its market share by 1 percent, to Overall, weaker commodity prices were balanced by continued growth in its packaged salads business. In order to keep up with labor demands, particularly as the Native Hawaiian population was decimated by disease , workers were recruited from China, Japan, the Philippines, and Portugal.

As a result, the plantation system developed, in which companies built frequently segregated schools, stores, and housing for their workers, which were designed to trap them in cycles of debt.

This consolidated the wealth and influence of corporations like the Hawaiian Big Five , all of which were owned by the haole elite. Gradually, the social and cultural imperialism that the missionaries brought to the islands developed into the exploitative commercial power that overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy in One such businessman was Sanford B. For decades, American politicians had debated the possibility of annexing the Hawaiian Islands because of its economic and agricultural value, in which sugar ran supreme, as well as its strategic position in the Pacific, but were faced with resistance from the Hawaiian people and anti-imperialists.

By this time, some began to doubt the sustainability of the sugar industry, and began instead to advocate for the commercial potential of tropical fruits like pineapple. When James Dole arrived on the island of Oahu in with dreams making fortunes in the emerging fruit business, he did so in the wake of the destruction of the Hawaiian monarchy, the massive depopulation of the Native Hawaiians, and in the tradition of western industries extracting profit from Hawaiian soil and people.

James Dole believed that the success of the business and industry depended upon product visibility, and that marketing pineapple required the commodification of Hawaiian culture. Native Hawaiian people were depicted not only as harvesters of the product, but as part of the product itself, their bodies used to lend a certain authenticity to the fruit.