Dole Food Company Celebrates New Plant, New Jobs, Future

Business Wire, April 4, 2007

David H. Murdock, Chairman and CEO of Dole, Highlights Commitment to North Carolina

BESSEMER CITY, N.C. -- Dole Food Company, Inc. today celebrated the opening of its new $54 million, 285,000-square-foot Dole Fresh Vegetables' salad-packaging plant. This is Dole's first facility in North Carolina.

"This plant is important to Dole because it will help supply the Southeast with a nutritious, high-quality product," said David H. Murdock, Chairman and CEO of Dole Food Company, Inc. "It will carry on Dole's commitment to safety and excellence."

The new plant currently employees more than 350 people, mostly from the surrounding area. Over the next 10 years, it may hire up to 900 people. The facility will package salad greens that are delivered from around the country for distribution in grocery stores throughout the Southeast. The facility will ship 750,000 packages of salad greens per day.

"Today is a great day for economic development for Bessemer City, Gaston County and the State of North Carolina," said Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue, who spoke at the event. "We are glad Dole is working with our state to build North Carolina's 21st century economy by opening the doors to high tech production facilities."

In the heart of what was once a textile community, Gaston County witnessed a loss of more than 4,000 textile-related jobs from 2000 to 2005.

"The jobs here at Dole matter deeply to this community," said Bessemer City Mayor Allan Farris. "And I know the people here will do the job to the highest degree of excellence."

Richard Dahl, President of Dole added, "Bessemer City, Gaston County and the State of North Carolina are all part of the Dole Family and we're part of yours."

Dole's commitment to North Carolina also includes the Dole Nutrition Institute to be located at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. The campus is a public-private collaboration that will focus on life sciences research to improve the world's health and well-being (www.ncresearchcampus.net).

About Dole Food Company, Inc.

Dole Food Company, Inc, with 2006 revenues of $6.2 billion, is the world's largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh-cut flowers. Dole markets a growing line of packaged foods and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.

About Dole Fresh Vegetables

Dole Fresh Vegetables offers more than 50 varieties of fresh, ready-to-eat packaged salads including complete kits with dressings, seasonal salads with flavorful accompaniments, family favorites such as iceberg and romaine blends, individual-size and family-size packaged salads, and a broad range of superb upscale blends. For more information on Dole products, visit www.dole.com.