The merger between Northern Ireland’s Total Produce and America’s Dole group, to form Dole Plc, has now been completed with the company’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
The new company boasts annual sales of almost $10 billion, and previous shareholders in Total Produce, as well as affiliates of Dole Food’s previous owner Castle & Cooke, now own shares in the combined group. Total Produce acquired a 45 per cent stake in the US group 2018 and the new firm’s operational base will remain in Dublin.
The new company’s website says it is ‘the premier global leader in fresh fruits and vegetables. We offer over 300 products grown and sourced both locally and globally from over 30 countries in various regions, which are distributed and marketed in over 80 countries, across retail, wholesale, and foodservice channels.’ The company is the world’s largest producer of pineapples and bananas, and one of the biggest producers of pre-packed salads in the world.