Dole Harvesting Dreams Program Expands Water, Healthcare and Community Support Across the Americas
Dole Food Company (NYSE: DOLE) has unveiled the seven winning initiatives selected for its 2025–2026 Harvesting Dreams program, reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainability, employee engagement, and community development. The employee-led initiative empowers Dole teams to identify pressing local challenges and develop practical, long-term solutions that improve quality of life while supporting environmental conservation and sustainable agriculture.
The newly selected projects span Latin America and the United States, addressing priorities such as clean drinking water, watershed protection, healthcare access, affordable housing, sustainable farming, education, nutrition, and employee volunteerism. Six of the projects will be implemented across Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, while the United States joins the initiative for the first time with a community-focused education program.
The Harvesting Dreams program reflects Dole’s belief that employees who work closely with local communities are uniquely positioned to identify meaningful opportunities for positive change. By transforming employee ideas into actionable projects, the company continues to strengthen its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments while creating measurable benefits for communities where it operates.
Employee Innovation Drives Sustainable Community Impact
Unlike traditional corporate social responsibility programs that are designed from the top down, Harvesting Dreams is built around employee participation. Dole employees develop project concepts based on the needs they observe in their daily work and local communities. These ideas are then refined through collaboration with community organizations, government agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and technical experts.
The selected projects combine practical infrastructure improvements with long-term sustainability strategies, ensuring that local communities remain active participants in the planning, implementation, and future management of each initiative.
This collaborative approach enables projects to generate lasting social, environmental, and economic value while strengthening relationships between Dole operations and surrounding communities.
Ecuador Project Focuses on Safe Drinking Water
Among the selected initiatives is Clean Water Access in Ecuador, which aims to improve reliable access to safe drinking water for the La Victoria community.
Access to clean water remains a significant challenge in many rural areas, affecting public health, education, and economic productivity. The project will work to strengthen local water infrastructure, helping residents obtain safe, dependable drinking water while reducing health risks associated with contaminated water supplies.
Improved water access also supports broader community development by enhancing sanitation, reducing waterborne illnesses, and improving overall quality of life.
Honduras Launches Two Community Development Projects
Honduras will implement two separate Harvesting Dreams initiatives focused on environmental conservation and healthcare.
Protecting Local Watersheds
The first project, Our Water Sources, Our Future, will promote the sustainable protection and management of local micro-watersheds.
Healthy watersheds play a vital role in ensuring long-term water availability for communities, agriculture, and ecosystems. The initiative will support conservation practices that help preserve water resources while encouraging responsible environmental stewardship.
By protecting these natural systems, the project seeks to improve water security for surrounding communities and strengthen climate resilience.
Expanding Healthcare Access
The second Honduran initiative, AGROPOR Medical System, will provide on-site healthcare services for Dole employees and their families.
Healthcare accessibility remains a challenge for many agricultural workers, particularly in rural regions where medical facilities may be limited or located far from workplaces. By delivering healthcare services closer to employees, the program aims to improve preventive care, medical consultations, and overall well-being for workers and their families.
The initiative also demonstrates Dole’s continued focus on employee health as an essential component of sustainable business operations.
Guatemala Project Improves Access to Medicines
In Guatemala, Harvesting Dreams will establish an Integrated Public Pharmacy designed to improve access to medicines and strengthen community healthcare services.
The project will work alongside public health institutions to expand access to essential medications while supporting local healthcare delivery systems.
Improved pharmaceutical access can significantly benefit underserved communities by reducing barriers to treatment and supporting better health outcomes.
The initiative also reinforces Dole’s broader commitment to improving healthcare infrastructure in communities where its employees live and work.
Costa Rica Advances Sustainable Agriculture and Community Well-Being
Costa Rica will host two projects that combine environmental sustainability with community development.
Sustainable Pineapple Production
One initiative will support targeted weed management practices and promote more sustainable pineapple production methods.
By improving weed management techniques, the project seeks to reduce unnecessary resource use while increasing agricultural efficiency. Sustainable farming practices can contribute to healthier soils, improved biodiversity, and more responsible crop production.
The project aligns with Dole’s long-term objective of advancing environmentally responsible agricultural practices throughout its global operations.
Housing and Family Development
The second Costa Rican project will focus on improving employee housing, developing family gardens, and expanding employee volunteer opportunities.
Housing improvements can directly enhance living conditions for employees and their families, while home gardens provide additional food security and nutritional benefits.
Employee volunteer activities will further strengthen relationships between Dole workers and local communities, encouraging shared responsibility for community development and social well-being.
United States Joins Harvesting Dreams for the First Time
The 2025–2026 program also marks an important milestone with the United States becoming the first new country outside Latin America to participate.
The selected U.S. initiative, Bobby’s Classroom Connections, focuses on supporting education, nutrition, and corporate volunteer engagement within a vulnerable school community.
The program aims to improve learning opportunities while providing nutritional support and encouraging Dole employees to participate directly in community service activities.
The addition of the United States reflects the company’s intention to expand Harvesting Dreams beyond its traditional operating regions while maintaining its employee-centered approach.
Leadership Highlights Grassroots Sustainability
According to Xavier Roussel, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer at Dole Food Company, the initiative reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to community-driven sustainability.
He emphasized that Harvesting Dreams begins with employees who possess deep knowledge of both company operations and the communities they serve. By combining employee insights with partnerships involving local organizations, governments, and technical experts, the projects are designed to improve healthcare, expand water access, protect natural resources, and deliver lasting benefits for families.
This grassroots approach ensures that each initiative responds to genuine community priorities while supporting Dole’s broader sustainability objectives.
Built on The Dole Way Sustainability Framework
Harvesting Dreams was introduced in 2021 as part of The Dole Way, the company’s sustainability framework.
The framework is built around three interconnected pillars:
- For People – supporting employee well-being, community development, and social responsibility.
- For Food – advancing sustainable food production and agricultural innovation.
- For Nature – protecting natural resources and promoting environmental stewardship.
Each Harvesting Dreams project contributes to one or more of these pillars while encouraging collaboration among employees, local governments, educational institutions, NGOs, community organizations, and technical specialists.
The program prioritizes measurable outcomes, ensuring that projects generate long-term value and remain locally managed after implementation.
Implementation Timeline Through 2028
Dole expects implementation of the seven newly selected projects to begin during the second half of 2026.
Each initiative will progress through planning, partnership development, infrastructure improvements, and community engagement activities, with all projects expected to reach full implementation by December 2028.
The extended implementation period allows project teams to develop sustainable solutions that continue delivering benefits well beyond the initial investment.
Building on Early Success
The latest Harvesting Dreams projects build upon the success of the program’s inaugural edition.
Earlier initiatives helped restore watersheds in Honduras, expanded access to safe drinking water, introduced improved cooking solutions in Guatemala, supported emissions reduction efforts in Costa Rica, and expanded medical services for employees.
These accomplishments demonstrated how employee-generated ideas can evolve into impactful community programs that address local challenges while supporting Dole’s sustainability strategy.
With the addition of seven new initiatives across multiple countries, Harvesting Dreams continues to showcase how employee leadership, community collaboration, and sustainability can work together to create lasting social and environmental impact. By investing in clean water, healthcare, education, housing, environmental conservation, and sustainable agriculture, Dole Food Company is further strengthening its commitment to improving lives and building resilient communities throughout the Americas.
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