Dole Announces Seven Winning Projects for the 2025–26 Harvesting Dreams Program
Dole Food Company (NYSE: DOLE) has announced the seven winning projects selected for the 2025-26 edition of its Harvesting Dreams program, an employee-driven innovation initiative that empowers teams across the company’s global operations to develop practical solutions addressing social, environmental, and operational challenges. The program reflects Dole’s commitment to sustainability by transforming ideas generated by employees into impactful projects that benefit both local communities and the company’s operations.
Since its launch in 2021, Harvesting Dreams has become one of Dole Fresh Fruit’s flagship sustainability initiatives, encouraging employees to identify local needs and create innovative, scalable solutions that improve quality of life, protect natural resources, and strengthen business resilience. The initiative is rooted in The Dole Way, the company’s sustainability framework, which is built around three interconnected pillars—For People, For Food, and For Nature.
The latest edition attracted more than 25 project proposals from employee teams across multiple countries. Following a comprehensive evaluation process, seven initiatives were selected for implementation across the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Ecuador. Together, these projects demonstrate how local innovation can drive meaningful change while supporting Dole’s long-term sustainability strategy.
Employee Innovation at the Heart of Sustainability
Harvesting Dreams was created to harness the knowledge and creativity of Dole employees who work closest to the company’s farms, packing facilities, ports, and surrounding communities. Rather than relying solely on top-down sustainability initiatives, the program empowers employees to identify pressing local issues and design practical solutions that generate measurable, long-lasting benefits.
According to Nelson Montoya, President of Dole Fresh Fruit North America, the strength of Harvesting Dreams lies in the firsthand experience of employees who understand the unique challenges and opportunities within their communities.
He explained that the selected projects represent more than innovative concepts—they are practical commitments designed to improve education, healthcare, environmental protection, and community engagement. Montoya noted that the program demonstrates how employee-led innovation can translate into measurable sustainability outcomes while advancing The Dole Way across the company’s global operations.
Seven Winning Projects for 2025-26
The selected projects cover a diverse range of community priorities, reflecting the different social and environmental needs of the regions where Dole operates.
United States: Bobby’s Classroom Connections
For the first time since Harvesting Dreams was introduced, the United States will participate in the program, marking an important milestone in its expansion.
The winning U.S. project, Bobby’s Classroom Connections, focuses on supporting education, improving access to nutritious food, and encouraging employee volunteerism within a vulnerable school community. The initiative aims to strengthen educational opportunities while promoting healthier lifestyles for students through community partnerships and employee engagement.
Its inclusion signals Dole’s intention to expand the program beyond Latin America while maintaining its emphasis on locally developed solutions.
Guatemala: Integrated Public Pharmacy
Healthcare remains a significant challenge in many rural communities. The Integrated Public Pharmacy project seeks to improve public access to essential medicines and healthcare services by strengthening community pharmacy resources.
The initiative is designed to support public health infrastructure while increasing the availability of healthcare services for local residents.
Honduras: AGROPOR Medical System
Employee well-being remains a central component of The Dole Way.
The AGROPOR Medical System project aims to provide on-site healthcare services for employees and their families, ensuring quicker access to medical support while reducing barriers to essential healthcare.
The initiative is expected to improve preventive care and overall employee health while supporting workforce productivity.
Honduras: Our Water Sources, Our Future
Water conservation continues to be one of Dole’s sustainability priorities.
The Our Water Sources, Our Future project focuses on protecting and managing micro-watersheds that supply water to local communities and agricultural operations.
Through sustainable watershed management practices, the project seeks to preserve water quality, strengthen environmental resilience, and promote responsible natural resource management.
Costa Rica: Targeted Weed Management
Agricultural innovation plays an important role in sustainable food production.
Costa Rica’s Targeted Weed Management initiative will introduce more efficient weed control practices for pineapple production, helping reduce unnecessary inputs while improving environmental performance.
The project supports sustainable farming by encouraging precision agriculture techniques that protect ecosystems while maintaining productivity.
Costa Rica: With You at Home
Community development extends beyond agricultural operations.
The With You at Home project focuses on improving housing conditions, promoting employee volunteerism, and encouraging family gardening initiatives.
The program aims to enhance living conditions while strengthening community relationships and supporting food security through home gardens.
Ecuador: Clean Water Access for La Victoria Community
Reliable access to clean drinking water remains a priority for many rural communities.
The Clean Water Access initiative in Ecuador’s La Victoria community will strengthen sustainable access to safe drinking water through improved infrastructure and community collaboration.
The project is expected to improve public health while supporting long-term water security.
Implementation Through 2028
Implementation schedules will vary depending on the country and project requirements.
Dole expects work on the selected initiatives to begin during the second half of 2026, with all seven projects targeted for full implementation by December 2028.
The phased approach allows each project to be tailored to local conditions while ensuring adequate planning, resource allocation, and stakeholder collaboration.
Rigorous Selection Process
Harvesting Dreams follows a structured, multi-level evaluation process designed to ensure that selected projects are practical, impactful, and aligned with Dole’s sustainability objectives.
Each proposal initially undergoes review by the Sustainability Operating Committee within its respective country, where project teams receive guidance and technical feedback.
Projects are then evaluated by a country Steering Committee composed of managers and senior leadership representatives.
The final selection is made by Dole’s Executive Sustainability Committee, led by the President of Dole Fresh Fruit.
Evaluation criteria include anticipated community impact, environmental benefits, operational improvements, alignment with The Dole Way and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), innovation, feasibility, multidisciplinary collaboration, partnership potential, risk management, and the presence of measurable performance indicators.
Employee Perspective
Among this year’s winners is Sarah Marsh, Director of Terminal Operations at Dole’s Port of San Diego, who participated in one of the successful project teams.
Marsh described being selected as a Harvesting Dreams winner as both meaningful and inspiring, noting that the opportunity allows employees to contribute to community development while encouraging learning, collaboration, and positive social impact.
She expressed enthusiasm about using the initiative to give back to local communities, inspire colleagues, and help create lasting change where Dole operates.
Collaboration Beyond the Company
A defining feature of Harvesting Dreams is its emphasis on collaboration.
Rather than operating as a standalone corporate initiative, the program is built on a public-private-community partnership model that brings together Dole employees, government agencies, local communities, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and technical experts.
This collaborative approach ensures that projects move beyond initial concepts to become sustainable, community-owned solutions capable of delivering long-term benefits.
By combining corporate resources with local expertise and institutional partnerships, Dole aims to maximize both the social and environmental impact of each initiative.
Building on Proven Success
The 2025-26 edition builds upon the achievements of Harvesting Dreams’ inaugural cycle launched in 2021.
Earlier projects delivered measurable improvements across several countries, including the restoration of strategic micro-watersheds in Honduras, expanded access to safe drinking water for underserved communities, installation of improved cooking stoves in Guatemala, greenhouse gas emissions reduction initiatives in Costa Rica’s pineapple operations, and expanded medical services for employees.
These accomplishments demonstrate the program’s ability to convert employee ideas into tangible improvements that benefit communities while supporting Dole’s sustainability objectives.
Advancing The Dole Way
Harvesting Dreams represents a practical example of how Dole integrates sustainability into everyday business operations. By encouraging employees to identify local challenges and develop innovative responses, the company is creating a culture where sustainability is driven from the ground up rather than imposed from the top down.
As the initiative expands to include the United States and continues growing internationally, Dole is reinforcing its commitment to creating shared value for employees, communities, and the environment.
With implementation of the seven new projects beginning later in 2026 and continuing through 2028, Harvesting Dreams is expected to further strengthen Dole’s efforts to improve education, healthcare, environmental stewardship, agricultural innovation, housing, and clean water access across the regions where it operates, demonstrating how employee-led innovation can generate meaningful and lasting social impact.
Source Link:https://www.businesswire.com/
