Dole is marking 125 years of farming, shipping and selling bananas in 2024 with a year-long celebration featuring contests, partnerships, proclamations, recipes and other promotions.
The Dole 125th Banana-versry kicked off Feb. 1 with the first of “125 Ways to Be Bananas,” part of an extensive web and social media series of banana tips and recipes, digital downloads, engagement opportunities and ways to share banana memories, according to a news release.
The campaign also increases special appearances by Bobby Banana, the produce company’s 7-foot mascot committed to inspiring healthier living, the release said.
“From humble beginnings, Dole has become synonymous with bananas, forever changing the way we experience this delicious and nutritious fruit,” William Goldfield, director of corporate communications for Dole, said in the release. “As we celebrate 125 years of growth, innovation, and our commitment to grow, process and distribute our produce responsibly, we invite the world to join us on a journey that traces the deep roots of Dole’s past and paves the way for a brighter future.”
Banana lovers visiting the Dole 125th Banana-versry will find a “constantly expanding list of ways to satisfy their passion for the ubiquitous yellow fruit in 2024,” the release said.
The site includes:
- Banana-focused breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snack and smoothie recipes created exclusively by Dole over the decades.
- A series of free digital downloads and hands-on DIY activities celebrating all things Dole banana throughout 2024.
- A showcase of “125 Ways to Be Bananas,” which includes fun, actionable banana tips, tricks and engagements being shared on Dole’s Facebook and Instagram stories pages all year long.
- Creation of a Dole Banana Hall of Fame that welcome inductees, including restaurants, people and places who continue to have a lasting appeal on the nature and universal appeal of the fruit.
- A growing calendar of Dole 125th Banana-versry contests, events, proclamations and partnerships including appearances by Bobby Banana and Dole’s largest celebration of April 17’s National Banana Day in its history.
To mark the occasion at the store level, Dole will launch a series of commemorative Dole 125th Banana-versary stickers on millions of Dole bananas in multiple waves across the U.S. and Canada throughout 2024 celebrating the journey, the people, the earth, the flavors and the heritage Dole has cultivated over a century and a quarter, the release said.
The company said it is working with retailers throughout North America to bring the Dole 125th Banana-versary to shoppers through dedicated displays, POP materials and other in-store activations.
The Dole 125th Banana-versry will also showcase ways that Dole has helped shape a brighter future for the banana and produce industry, consumers and the planet since 1899 — ranging from the building of infrastructures and other important social support in communities for banana workers to advances in in research for conventional and organic farming and finally The Dole Way, the company’s three-pronged global sustainability initiative, Goldfield said.
“As the global banana and produce industry has grown because of Dole, so too has our obligation to lead in the protection of people, food and nature for future generations,” Goldfield said. “Our programs in water management, climate change, waste reduction, employee social equity and health and nutrition are helping to ensure another 125 years of Dole Bananas and a happy, healthy global fanbase.”
For updated information on the Dole 125th Banana-versary, go to dole.com/125. Use hashtags #DoleBananaVersary, #DoleBananas125, #BananasForTheFuture, #BananaVersary and #Fresh4Future to join in on the conversation.
