Dole history

Cooke and Castle set up business to sell wholesale goods, and in 1858 the pair entered the food business, investing in Hawaii's sugar industry.

On November 16, 1889, the Oahu Railway and Land Company (OR&L) began operating on Hawai`i's third largest island, Oahu.

The business continued to grow, and in 1894 the company was incorporated as Castle & Cooke Co., Inc.

Meanwhile, James Drummond Dole came to Hawaii in 1899, after graduating from Harvard.

The other half of Dole’s corporate heritage, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, was founded in 1901 by James Dole, who opened his first pineapple plantation in the central plateau of the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

In 1903 he successfully shipped and sold 2,000 cases of canned pineapple.

The Mainstreaming of Pineapple in the United States: 1910-30

In 1911 engineer Henry Ginaca, an employee of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, invented a machine that could process 100 pineapple cylinders a minute.

Toward the end of World War I, in 1918, Dole’s Hawaiian Pineapple Company was producing one million cases annually and had gained a reputation as the largest processor of pineapples in the world.

During this time Dole purchased more land in order to expand his business and in 1922 purchased the island of Lanai for a pineapple plantation.

New Products and Continued Growth: 1930-70

In 1932, Castle & Cooke purchased a 21% interest in the Hawaiian Pineapple Company.

The Dole brand, which was introduced in 1933, is one of the most recognized brands for fresh and packaged produce in the United States.

Thereafter the Hawaiian Pineapple Company became Castle & Cooke’s principal business, and while Dole’s name was affixed to the company’s products in 1934, Dole himself was relegated to an essentially powerless role.

With greater financial resources at its disposal, the company launched a major advertising campaign for pineapple juice, boosting sales and putting the company back on a profitable footing by 1936.

Castle & Cooke bought a controlling share of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company and, although Dole remained as chairman of the board until 1948, Castle & Cooke was in charge, and was responsible for restoring the company to financial health.

The company established pineapple and banana farms in the Philippines in 1963 to serve markets in East Asia.

In 1968 Castle & Cooke bought the remainder of Standard Fruit.

The company branched into mushrooms in 1973 with the acquisition of West Foods, Inc., the biggest producer of mushrooms in the western United States.

The following year, Dole Fresh Vegetables began marketing produce under the Dole name, dropping the Bud of California name it had been using since 1978, and the company purchased two apple growers in Washington State.

In 1986 Dole's logo was redesigned.

In 1988 Dole introduced a new line of dried fruits and nuts.

In 1989 a division of Dole Food Company was established in London, poised to take advantage of imminent changes in the integrated European market.

The company also continued its tradition of diversification and innovation, introducing a line of packaged fresh vegetable products in 1990.

Since 1991, Dole’s international growth strategy has included expansion into eastern Europe, South Korea, and the Middle East, where eight branch offices have been opened.

carlsen, clifford. "dole plucks marin organics giant; acquisition of made in nature plants seed for golden harvest." san francisco business times, 2 september 1994.

In 1995 Dole sold its juice and beverage business, except for pineapple juice, to the Seagram Co.

1996: Dole pioneers packaged fresh salad mixes.

In 1997 Dole's sales were over $4.3 billion.

The company also established a salad plant in Japan in 1998 to introduce the packaged product to Japanese consumers.

Dole's other segments--Fresh Vegetables, Packaged Foods, and Beverages--performed well in 2000.

In 2001, Dole began a concerted effort to reduce operating costs and to liquidate non-core and/or under-performing businesses.

"David H. Murdock Acquires Dole Food Company, Inc.," Canadian Corporate News, March 29, 2003.

Announces Additional Duties for Its Chairman and CEO, and Early Retirement of Its President and COO," Business Wire, February 4, 2004.

In 2011, the company reported $7.2 billion in annual revenue.

As part of a major restructuring in 2012, Dole agreed to sell its worldwide packaged foods and Asian fresh produce businesses to Japanese trading house Itochu for $1.7 billion in cash.

In August 2013, Dole announced it has sold itself to CEO David Murdock for $1.2 billion.”

In 2015, the Delaware Chancery Court awarded $148 million in damages to the former shareholders, on the grounds that Murdock and chief operating officer C. Michael Carter had misled shareholders regarding the finances of the company.

On July 30th of 2021, Dole Food Company, Inc merged with Total Produce plc.