CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One of the world’s oldest, largest and best-known growers of fresh produce, Dole Food Company has launched a new video series recognizing some of the hundreds of family farmers it works with in the U.S. and around the globe that are instrumental to its mission of making the world a healthier place and encouraging a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
The first two videos – spotlighting domestic vegetable farmers Jesus Tovar of T&P Farms in Somerton, Ariz., and Zach Barnes of Dole Fresh Vegetables in Soledad, Calif. – will be posted on Dole’s LinkedIn page on National Farmer’s Day on Oct. 12 as part of Dole’s celebration of the annual holiday honoring U.S. farmers and growers. Additional videos celebrating Dole’s U.S. and global farmer partners are planned.
According to Bil Goldfield, Dole’s director of corporate communications, Dole has been working with family farmers in the U.S. for more than 50 years as part of a larger farming legacy that dates back to the early 1900s when James Drummond Dole cultivated the first Dole pineapples in Hawaii.
“Family farmers are at the heart of Dole,” said Goldfield. “Despite the perception of Dole as a corporate farming organization, in addition to our owned agriculture production, we are made up of a network of many independent growers. Working with Dole enables these small farmers to gain access and opportunity to a competitive market that they may not have on their own. Working together allows us to feed a hungry world and support a healthy lifestyle around the world.”
“In the U.S, alone, we grow and source fresh vegetables on 42,815 acres of U.S. farmland, making us one of largest single-brand growers in the country,” he said. “Of this amount, 27,717 acres, almost two-thirds, are owned by family farmers.”
Dole currently works with family farmers in nine states across the U.S. (California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, New York, and Texas) to grow more than 15 vegetable varieties, including cabbage, Romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, spinach, carrots, kale, radishes, green onions, broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, celery, brussels sprouts and several Spring Mix varieties.
To learn more about Dole’s commitment to sustainable farming around the world, visit the sustainability section of Dole.com.
For original Dole salad recipes, nutritional insights, and other information, visit www.dole.com or follow Dole’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest pages.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole Food Company, part of Dole plc, is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.dole.com.
