Dole Food Company, Inc. announced today that Dole Fresh Fruit International, Ltd., its fresh fruit division in Latin America, launched a new website (www.doleorganic.com) that houses several interactive tools aimed at bringing consumers closer to its organic banana operations. Via the system, consumers are able to find specific information about the farms where the Dole organic bananas are grown or purchased from growers.
Key to the system is the Dole organic bananas� label, which is printed with a unique farm code that corresponds to the specific farm where the product was sourced. When consumers enter the indicated code into the new Dole website, they gain access to the farm�s page, where they find information regarding the farm�s characteristics (country, location, certifications), have the opportunity to learn more about the grower, read stories about projects in the communities and look at pictures. Furthermore, the Dole website has a link to satellite image technology, enabling consumers to actually view the farm and the neighboring areas.
"This new tool is both ground-breaking and interactive since consumers can now virtually visit the farms where the Dole organic bananas they buy are grown. It is an educational tool, which increases transparency and thus consumer confidence in our products and in our brand", says Frans Wielemaker, director of sourcing and development Organic Program of Dole Fresh Fruit International in San Jos�, Costa Rica.
Dole produces organically-grown bananas in its own farms and sources from independent organic growers located in Honduras, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Peru for the European, North American, and Japanese Markets and also in the Philippines for the Asian Markets.
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