Dole is pleased to confirm that both Dole Organics, a new specialist division and its new ‘GO Organic!’ consumer brand, are to be officially introduced at Fruit Attraction 2023 in Madrid on October 3rd-5th. Dole Organics will be dedicated to bringing renewed impetus to the organic fresh produce category by promoting cross sector collaboration, consolidating supply, assuring continuity and consistency of product and applying best-in-class category management practices in-store. Focusing on its ‘diversified’ organic fresh produce range, Dole’s new GO Organic! brand will complement its successful DOLE® Organic banana and pineapple offering already available across Europe.
Dole’s credentials as a world class organic grower are already firmly established. Celebrating 25 years of its organic banana program this October, Dole is the largest grower and distributor of both premium organic bananas and pineapples in the United States, while in Europe, Dole works hand in glove with a broad network of accomplished local third party organic growers across many of the local markets in which it has on-the-ground operations.
By virtue of this experience, its local infrastructure and relationships, its global reach and resources and its in-house expertise in growing organics, Dole believes it is uniquely positioned to make an important contribution to moving the category into the mainstream. Dole Organics will be dedicated to satisfying an identified need amongst retailers for reliable cross category 52-week partners in organics, a demand amongst consumers for greater consistency in the quality and availability of organic produce on-shelf and an appetite amongst organic growers for greater commercial security and investment in the category as a whole. To that end, Dole Organics is committed to aligning its own organic production what that of the very best global and local third party growers to offer a comprehensive, consistent, integrated year-round range, grown with care, passion and pride and promoted creatively to appeal to the widest possible consumer set.
DOLE® GO Organic! will be a critical instrument in this regard. An integrated category concept, GO Organic! will be a focal point for best practices across production, procurement, packaging and promotion. Projecting a compelling call to action, it is dedicated to delivering a clear point of difference at retail and has an inherently contemporary, natural look and feel, one supported by the application of best-in-class sustainable packaging wherever possible. GO Organic’s tagline, ‘Taste first. Planet, always’ positions eating experience as a primary call to purchase, a message that will be amplified by engaging digital and on-pack promotions and innovative in-store activations targeting a broader constituency of consumers than the traditional organic niche. The DOLE® mark, of course will serve, as always, as a promise of ‘quality, quality, quality’ to the broad cohort of consumers across Europe who recognise and trust the iconic brand.
The formation of Dole Organics is strategically significant moment for Dole in terms of future proofing the business and that of our customers, given the clear legislative momentum behind organic production and the widespread and growing positive consumer sentiment associated with the category.
While acknowledging that repositioning the place of the organic category on the retail shelf will take time and cross-stakeholder collaboration, Bengt Nilsson, President of Dole Northern Europe notes:
‘Our ambition is unambiguous. We aim to become the indispensable conduit that brings together our own organic production, that of the most accomplished local and global organic growers, the full resources of our group and our commercial partners to present consistently superior organic produce to consumers, 52 weeks of the year. In creating Dole Organics and launching our DOLE® GO Organic! brand we are laying foundations and extending an open invitation to independent organic growers and European retailers alike to work together with Dole to collectively bring organic fruit & vegetables to the next level’.