Welcome to Dole’s Honduran operations.  In Honduras, Dole owns two pineapple plantations and six banana farms. The Company also produces and sources conventional and organic bananas.

Where are we?

Our main offices are located in La Ceiba, Atlántida, in the north coast of Honduras.  Our Dole owned banana farms are in the Aguan valley and our independent producers are in the Sula Valley.  Our pineapple plantations are located mostly in the North coast of the country. 

Dole has approximately 2,900 hectares planted with pineapples and 6,300 hectares planted with bananas and we employ approximately 9,500 people.

Attractive working conditions...

In 2004, Dole's Maya Division was recognized by the International Labor Organization (ILO) for being the business with the best 'Good Labor Practices' in Honduras.

In 2003, Standard Fruit de Honduras received the Certificate of Merit from the ILO at the ILO's regional conference for Good Labor Practices for the promotion of decent work. Standard Fruit was heralded as a 'leader in the worker safety' and for its ISO 14001 certification.

Training

For pineapple production, training is provided in areas such as ISO 14001, ISO 9001, worker safety, specific job skills and emergency response. There are six full-time trainers, who provide workers with approximately 3,200 training sessions per year.

For banana production, every operational area has specific training requirements established for each Dole worker. Instructors service the needs identified by the various departments. More than 4,000 employees are trained annually. Company assistance programs also include training of its independent growers' employees in key areas such as safe use of crop protection products and environmental awareness.

Other training programs include environmental education, waste management, water use, forest management, and the proper usage and handling of pesticides. 

...and social programs

Dole employees have social benefits including health exams and housing subsidies for low-income employees. Dole Honduras provides housing, schools and health services including hospitals and clinics.

These community programs include financial support for a local medical center, which treats an estimated 10,000 patients each year.

Education

In Honduras, Dole provides financial and administrative assistance to the Mazapan School, a bilingual school serving grades 1-12. In addition to running two private schools for the children of its banana farms employees, the Company provides financial aid to public schools in the farm areas and offers scholarships for the children of indigent families.

Extensive community benefits

There are 757 Company-owned homes currently inhabited by workers in the Aguan Valley (principal area of its production). There is also a housing program in place to increase employee-owned homes (50% financed by the Company and 50% by the employee), comprising a total of 257 homes to date.

Dole supports the community at large with road and drainage maintenance, river dikes, garbage collection, water supply, security and land donation.

Environmental Programs

The environmental management system of Dole's Honduran subsidiary has been ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified.

The Division’s programs have resulted in meaningful contributions to protect the environment thanks to soil conservation programs, waste recycling programs and the reduction of the use of crop protection products amongst others.  A specific example is the decrease of water use by approximately 190,000 liters per day through the construction of 23 water tanks at packing plants.