Welcome to Dole’s Costa Rican operations. In Costa Rica, Dole owns 7 banana farms and 2 pineapple plantations. The Company also produces and sources conventional and organic pineapples and conventional bananas.
Where are we?
Our main offices are located in San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica. Dole has approximately 12,000 hectares planted in bananas and 2,400 in pineapples and employs approximately 7000 people. Furthermore, the Company sources bananas from approximately 20 growers and pineapples from 5 growers.
Attractive working conditions...
Standard Fruit de Costa Rica is SA 8000 certified for all Company owned pineapple and banana farms. Furthermore, in November 2007 Standard Fruit Company de Costa Rica received the 'Grand Winner' Award from the Costa Rican American Chamber of Commerce for outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) achievements. The award was presented by Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez, President of the Republic of Costa Rica and 1987 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Dole’s work in the areas of the environment, social programs and education was recognized over 12 other candidates.
Training
Dole trains all employees on occupational safety and environmental protection. Each worker receives training tailored to the worker’s specific job. For example, environmental coordinators are trained and, in turn, train the workers of the independent growers in Company procedures, using Company course materials. This training is based on the SA 8000 standard.
In Costa Rica, Dole created its own training center, La Catedra. In the center, there are two active and 40 part-time instructors who, in addition to training, undertake other activities in the areas of environmental protection and quality management systems. There are at least two trainers on each Company farm that work with two full-time employees in the Training Department.
Education
In Costa Rica the Company supports a program which provides free school supplies each year for the children of Dole workers. Dole’s education programs have resulted in the construction of 28 schools. Furthermore, Dole developed the Telesecundaria program, which provides classes via television for the students who live in remote areas.
Extensive community benefits
Health Fairs: Provided at no cost to employees, health professionals are taken to the farms to provide workers with medical examinations and specialist evaluations. The medical team is made up of specialists and includes laboratory and ultrasound services. The program was initially implemented on the Río Frío Farm, where 524 employees have benefited to date. The health fairs have since expanded to cover neighboring communities. In addition to the Health Fairs, Dole has built 10 health centers to service people in more remote areas.
In total, Dole’s housing and community facilities programs have resulted in the construction of 1,870 houses, 3 banks, 16 churches and over 100 sports facilities in Costa Rica.
Environmental Programs
An annual audit is completed at each banana farm and pineapple plantation. The audit includes a review of the Environmental Management System, the GlobalGAP protocol and legal compliance.
In 1998, Standard Fruit de Costa Rica was the first agricultural company in the world to receive ISO 14001 certification.