Dole sets a steady foot in Romania

The world's largest producer and marketer of top-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables is the first international fruit company to operate directly in Romania, where it has decided to enter in 2009 by acquiring its local distributor. After having supplied Romanian retailers and wholesalers through a distributor since the 90s, today Dole Europe, with its new division Dole Romania, already stands out as a key leader, intending to cover 25% of the 8 millions banana boxes of the estimated yearly national market.

"As a strong network through Europe, Dole has always been open and eager to embrace new opportunities in order to answer its customers' development on new markets. It is challenging and necessary, given the fact that Dole partners with retailers and wholesalers to build long-term ties and to establish a regular supply with frequently arriving fresh products. Expanding in Romania was a strategic goal for us, we wanted to provide our customers there with Dole's know-how and expertise all along the chain, from the source to them," says Jean-Christophe Juilliard, President of Dole Europe. "We will continue our development where we can bring added value, creating new division or acquiring local partners where the market conditions and potential are optimum".

Standing out as the leader of fresh fruit and vegetables, Dole has launched its first marketing campaign in Romania with the base line "Orice banana vrea sa fie Dole" (Every banana wants to be Dole).

'Our leadership in the banana category is undisputed, which is the reason for the "Every banana wants to be Dole" slogan, emphasizes Victor Esquivel, General Manager of Dole Romania. 'It is the first marketing project that we run in Romania and it will be highly visible.'

The national campaign consists of a TV spot that will be broadcast over several weeks since April 12th on the main media channels, and will be supported by several important BTL and trade marketing activities.

This campaign marks a push by Dole to expand the brand awareness, which is already up to 25%, and to develop the Romanians' consumption of fresh fruit, which is 10 kilograms below the EU annual average of 95 kilograms per capita. Indeed, bananas are ranked in the top 3 preferred fruits of the Romanians with apples and citrus, but the banana consumption by the 22 million Romanians is about 40% lower than the European average, amounting to about 9 kilograms per capita annually. The company wants to play a role in favoring healthy lifestyles, according to its belief that "Quality food is quality of life".

About Dole Europe: Dole Europe is one of the largest marketers of fresh produce on the continent, where it has been operating since 1992. It imports a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables from both Dole Food Company's own farms and independent growers situated all over the world. Dole Europe also provides retailers with innovative solutions in terms of services and products. The company focuses on four core values: competence, responsibility, integrity and enthusiasm. Its network stretches from Scandinavia to South Africa, from Portugal to Russia, and includes 1,550 employees, working at 40 locations. More information at