Building on the overwhelming success of its groundbreaking healthy gaming initiative, Dole Food Company has announced the next chapter of its global collaboration with Minecraft. The expanded campaign introduces new digital content, engaging experiences, and a special focus on pineapple, honoring Dole’s rich 125-year legacy in pineapple cultivation and distribution.
The new campaign launches on June 21 and will run through October 3, 2026. Designed to connect nutrition, gaming, and family engagement, the initiative continues Dole’s long-standing mission of helping people make healthier food choices while reaching younger generations through platforms they already enjoy. By combining the popularity of Minecraft with educational content about nutrition and wellness, Dole aims to demonstrate how healthy foods can contribute to energy, concentration, and performance both in virtual worlds and everyday life.
Building on a Record-Breaking First Year
The first phase of the Dole-Minecraft partnership exceeded expectations and proved that fresh produce brands can successfully connect with consumers through digital experiences. The campaign generated exceptional engagement worldwide, attracting millions of participants and creating a new model for promoting healthy eating among younger audiences.
According to Dole, the campaign’s landing page received unprecedented levels of traffic, delivering more than twenty times the number of consumer scans compared with the company’s recent promotional programs. These interactions translated into more than two million page views and millions of social media impressions across multiple markets. Additionally, the initiative generated hundreds of millions of earned media impressions globally, significantly expanding awareness of both the campaign and Dole’s broader health and wellness messaging.
Beyond visibility and engagement, the campaign also influenced consumer behavior. Approximately 60 percent of participants reported increased interest in purchasing Dole products after interacting with the campaign. More than half of participants subscribed to the Dole Nutrition Newsletter, demonstrating a desire for continued access to educational content focused on healthy living, nutrition, and wellness.
Retail stores played a crucial role in the campaign’s success. More than 70 percent of consumers discovered the promotion while shopping, highlighting the effectiveness of integrating digital experiences directly into the produce aisle. Through innovative packaging and QR-enabled product tags, Dole successfully transformed routine grocery shopping into an interactive experience.
New In-Game Reward Brings Pineapple to Minecraft Players
A major attraction of the original campaign was an exclusive in-game reward that generated record levels of redemption requests from players around the world. Building on that achievement, Dole is introducing a brand-new limited-time Minecraft Character Creator Item developed exclusively for the partnership.
The new reward, known as the Pineapple Hoodie, allows players to showcase Dole’s iconic fruit within their Minecraft avatars. Available through the campaign website, the digital item reflects the company’s renewed focus on pineapple while giving players a fun way to personalize their in-game identity.
William Goldfield, Director of Corporate Communications for Dole Food Company, emphasized the significance of the campaign’s evolution.
“The response to our first campaign with Minecraft showed us that today’s consumers, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, are looking for experiences that connect their digital and physical worlds in meaningful ways,” Goldfield said. “We demonstrated that fresh fruit can be part of that ecosystem and create authentic engagement.”
He added that the company intends to build on the lessons learned during the first campaign to create an even more impactful experience.
“This next phase combines the strength of our brand, the influence of gaming culture, and the benefits of healthy nutrition to create something meaningful for families worldwide,” Goldfield explained.
New Recipes, Activities, and Educational Content
The second phase of the campaign introduces a range of new features designed to deepen engagement and provide additional value to consumers.
One of the highlights is a collection of pineapple-inspired recipes created to support active lifestyles. These recipes offer convenient snack and meal ideas that deliver sustained energy while emphasizing the nutritional benefits of fruit-based ingredients. Designed with gamers and busy families in mind, the recipes encourage healthier eating habits without sacrificing convenience or flavor.
The campaign will also feature interactive digital puzzles, downloadable activities, and educational games that encourage participants to spend time engaging both online and offline. These activities are intended to reinforce learning while creating entertaining experiences for children and families.
Nutrition education remains a central pillar of the initiative. New wellness content will explain how hydration, natural fruit sugars, vitamins, and essential nutrients contribute to energy levels, concentration, and overall performance. By connecting nutrition directly to activities that matter to younger audiences, Dole hopes to make healthy eating more relatable and accessible.
Interactive Retail Experiences Return
Following the success of the first campaign, Dole will once again transform retail environments into interactive engagement hubs.
Consumers will discover specially designed DOLE® banana stickers and pineapple tags featuring QR codes that direct shoppers to the campaign’s online platform. By scanning these codes, customers can unlock exclusive content, access recipes, participate in activities, and redeem digital rewards.
The produce department will also feature a variety of themed point-of-sale materials, including character standees, floor graphics, display header cards, and stanchion signs. These retail elements are designed to create a visually engaging shopping experience while increasing awareness of the campaign.
At the center of the initiative is the campaign landing page, which serves as the primary destination for all digital content. Visitors can access recipes, educational articles, wellness resources, downloadable activities, and exclusive Minecraft-related experiences throughout the campaign period.
To support its growing international audience, Dole is expanding the program into additional markets, including Sweden and France. The campaign website will be available in multiple languages, including English, German, Italian, Greek, French, Dutch, and Swedish, ensuring broader accessibility for consumers across Europe and beyond.
Key Campaign Features
The 2026 Dole-Minecraft campaign includes:
- Ten new DOLE® banana sticker designs featuring three QR code variations.
- Global DOLE® pineapple tags available in multiple languages.
- Interactive in-store displays and promotional materials.
- Extensive social media activations across Dole channels.
- A multilingual campaign hub at Dole.com/minecraft.
- Six gaming-inspired pineapple recipes developed by Dole’s registered dietitian.
- Nutrition and wellness articles focused on the relationship between healthy snacking and gaming performance.
- Exclusive Minecraft digital rewards, including the limited-time Pineapple Hoodie.
Celebrating 125 Years of Pineapple Heritage
The decision to place pineapple at the center of the 2026 campaign carries special significance for Dole. The company is commemorating 125 years of pineapple heritage, recognizing the fruit’s enduring role in its history and identity.
For more than a century, pineapple has been one of Dole’s most recognizable products and a symbol of its commitment to providing nutritious, high-quality fresh produce to consumers around the world. By spotlighting pineapple in this year’s Minecraft collaboration, the company is celebrating that legacy while introducing a new generation of consumers to the fruit’s nutritional benefits and versatility.
As the campaign unfolds through October, Dole plans to introduce additional content, social media activations, and retail experiences designed to keep consumers engaged. By blending gaming culture, nutrition education, and interactive shopping experiences, the company continues to explore innovative ways to inspire healthier lifestyles while strengthening connections with families and younger audiences worldwide.
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