Dole Philippines, Inc. 

2022

Asia's Most Influential Companies

Dole Philippines, Inc. 

Asia's Most Influential Companies

2022

about Dole Philippines, Inc. 

Spreading Sunshine For All

Dole Philippines, Inc. champions an equitable world through wholesome best practices anchored by the Sampo Yoshi philosophy.

Dole Philippines, Inc. (Dolefil) was established in 1963 in Polomolok, South Cotabato, and operates a vertically integrated food processing facility in Mindanao, with 95% of its fresh pineapples, canned pineapple slices and other products exported worldwide. Today, Dolefil produces over 26 million standard cases of processed pineapple and ships 13 million boxes of fresh pineapples annually.

As one of the largest multinational companies in Region XII of the Philippines, Dolefil’s operations encompasses 20,340 hectares of farms, fresh fruit packing operations with a capacity of 40,000 boxes daily, canneries in Surallah and Polomolok that process 1 million tonnes of pineapples yearly, and shipping terminals in Gensan and Davao, with 8,900 employees as its life force.

Dolefil champions an equitable world where everyone has the right to nutrition from the goodness of the earth, and reduces these gaps one action at a time. Anchored by this purpose and its core values, the company prides itself on creating shared value for its stakeholders through sustainable operations that reflect the Sampo Yoshi philosophy, which translates to eliciting good for the buyer, seller, and the community.

To safeguard its purpose and spread sunshine to its stakeholders, Dolefil is profoundly governed by Dolefil Kaugnay, its robust labour management union that spearheads industrial peace. This encapsulates employee, family, and community welfare as well as an inclusive feedback system that bolsters a consensus based and collaborative culture that involves employees in decision-making and fosters open communication.

Now regarded as Dolefil’s way of life, Dolefil Kaugnay is aligned with the Philippines’ Department of Labour and Employment’s (DoLE) 10 dimensions of Family Welfare Programs, and is the very reason the company operates so holistically while delivering quality through its people, products, and services. As a result, various initiatives, programs, and projects have been institutionalised by Dolefil Kaugnay, with diverse positive outcomes cumulated.

Despite its success and the numerous accolades the company has garnered, Dolefil has had its fair share of adversities. Due to major labour-management conflict during its early days, Kaugnay was conceived in 1990 to propel an organisational turnaround. Another pivotal event was the recent COVID-19 pandemic, to which Dolefil had adapted and responded to promptly with numerous actions to ensure business continuity.

Moving forward, one of Dolefil’s biggest challenges includes environmental factors and changes that may alter the volume and growth of pineapples. Therefore, a Regenerative Agriculture Program has been put in place to improve soil health and vitality. Amongst these solutions include minimum tillage as a soil conservation system and other soil erosion control programs, composting, the use of biomass and biogas, and carbon sequestering.

Its people are ultimately Dolefil’s greatest asset and on top of benefits necessitated by law, the company goes above and beyond to ensure a fulfilling employee experience. In fact, its attrition rate is less than 10%, with normal retirement as the major contributor to this metric. Additionally, learning and development programs are part of their annual performance reviews, and have been made a prerequisite for employees to progress to higher positions.

With CSR success being a strong part of its DNA, Dolefil’s CSR initiatives are anchored by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Among the major ones include its Ridge to Reef program involving green leadership, Nutripan which concerns social empowerment, and Caravan of Hope that covers health promotion. There are also many other programs and activities that take place, with employees and customers invited to pitch in.

Dolefil’s way of working has been benchmarked by many local and global businesses, and it has no doubt made its mark as one of Asia’s Most Influential Companies, as acknowledged by ACES. Besides being recognised for its best practices, Dolefil is determined to deliver on its promises to further advance its work for the environment and the community, and hopes to inspire other players to take a step towards making the world a better place.

“Dole Philippines, Inc. fulfils its duty of care in the most detailed and calculated way. It is not often that you see businesses foster a workplace that can be a source of positive energy and support, but Dolefil has done it tremendously well while gradually making an impact in the world. If I were a part of the company, taking pride in it would be an understatement.”

Shanggari Balakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, MORS Group

“Many businesses don’t realise that how the management chooses to treat people impacts everything for better or worse. Dole Philippines, Inc. puts the wellbeing of its stakeholders, such as its employees and the community above all else, and proves that it is certainly a force to be reckoned with. We cannot wait to see how the company continues to flourish.”

Dr. Jayanthi Desan, Lead Jury, ACES Awards

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