Dole South Africa was established in 1998 by the Dole Food Company as a marketing organization, exporting products sourced from local independent growers to Europe, the USA, Canada, UK, Middle East, Far East, Indian Ocean Islands and Pacific Asia.

Products and Areas of Production

Dole South Africa sources and exports citrus fruit, grapes, stonefruit, apples and pears from growers located in South Africa, Namibia and Swaziland. Deciduous and subtropical fruit are produced during the summer months. Citrus fruit is harvested during the winter months.

Independent Growers

Dole South Africa does not own any farms. All its fruit is sourced from more than 200 independent growers spread across the country.

Environmental Practices

To become a Dole independent grower, it is mandatory for Dole’s suppliers to sign the Minimum Producer Requirements document. In signing this document, Dole’s independent growers agree to comply with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

Dole’s growers are provided with a written environmental policy and must follow environmental programs adapted to the area’s environmental conditions and needs. Examples include, but are not limited to, the responsible use of insecticides to protect pests’ natural predators, the collection and proper disposal of empty chemical containers and responsible cultivation practices.

Annually, Dole South Africa audits a percentage of its growers’ environmental practices to ensure compliance with the Dole standards.

Labor Conditions

The South African government has very specific regulations on working hours, payment of overtime, minimum wages, child labor and housing. Ad hoc visits by government officials are regularly conducted to ensure compliance. Dole staff also audits the independent growers. In addition, Dole has written policies on social accountability, hygiene and food safety, which are shared with its suppliers.

Training

Training is a continuous cycle. Workers normally receive on-the-job training. Depending on the skill level required, training sometimes occurs in a classroom setting. In some cases, external companies provide the training. Typical training programs are on safety, pruning, picking, grading and packing. The number of trainers depends on the size of the cultivation site and, in most cases senior staff members are also qualified trainers.

Community Programs

Medical Programs

All growers have access to medical facilities on or near their farms. In most cases, it consists of a medical clinic including a full-time professional nurse, aided by a medical practitioner. Furthermore, most growers have at least one person trained in first aid on their permanent staff. In some cases, growers have an arrangement with a nearby medical practitioner, who treats the labor force at the grower’s expense.

Education Programs

 Growers with larger facilities have a school for children of employees on their farms, paid for by the grower. With schools located outside the farm, growers normally provide children with the necessary transportation. Many growers have community development programs on their farms, which consist of a daycare center for the children of working mothers and teaching facilities for non-working women. Here the women are taught skills such as handicrafts, cooking, vegetable gardening, life skills and healthy eating techniques.

Social Development Programs

Nutrition

In South Africa, Dole has previously partnered with a Fresh Produce Market and Local Government departments to run programmes in schools to create awareness around the benefits of eating and living a healthy lifestyle. Not only were school children provided with fresh fruit, but they were taught the benefits of eating fresh fruit and living a healthy life style. More recently, Dole partnered with Checkers – a supermarket chain in South Africa – running a similar edutainment programme in preschool, junior and senior schools. The message of creating a healthy lifestyle was the predominant focus, coupled with ideas for regular exercising and the prevention of HIV and Aids.

Education

Thembalethu AIDS and Educational Trust Project: The Thembalethu Trust is made up of a group of residents caring for people living with HIV/AIDS within the Nomathamsanqa Community in the Sundays River Valley in the Eastern Cape. Dole supports this program by providing patients with nutritional supplements on a weekly basis. Education is also a key focus and this is done in the home as well as in the local school where Dole supports the library and after school training on life skills.

Transportation

seasonal workers are provided with transportation to and from their homes on a daily basis and provided with food during the workday. Seasonal workers who live in remote areas are provided with lodging on the farm and are assured a means of transportation home every weekend.

Main Certifications

• ISO 9001: Dole South Africa as fruit export agent and trader
• GlobalGAP: A large majority of Dole’s independent growers are GlobalGAP certified