Bama gruppen as names dole food company 2011 international supplier of the year

Westlake village, calif.--(business wire)--dole food company, inc. (nyse: dole) announced today that bama gruppen as, the leading fresh fruit and vegetables importer and distributor in norway, named dole food company their international supplier of the year in a ceremony celebrating bama’s 125th anniversary. this ceremony was held in oslo, norway, on september 28, 2011. bama’s supplier of the year award is given to the company that best demonstrates excellence in five key areas: product quality, market orientation and development, ethical and environmental practices, food safety, as well as service quality and reliability. dole has a long history with the distributor, supplying bama with fruit like bananas, pineapples and grapes for more than 18 years. “winning the bama international supplier of the year award is a very special honor for all our dole employees and growers,” said david delorenzo, president and ceo of dole food company, inc. “dole's position as a leader in the produce industry results from a dedication to exceeding customer expectations. all our employees work hard every day to achieve this objective.” bama is one of the oldest trading companies in norway, founded in 1886. today, it is the country’s largest distributor of fresh and processed fruit, vegetables and potatoes. both locally and globally, bama has placed significant focus on environmental and social responsibility. social and environmental practices are important factors, which are integrated into bama’s strategy when doing business with suppliers. since 2005, bama and dole have partnered to improve sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in latin america. among some initiatives, dole and bama participate in a pilot program aimed at measuring the environmental impact of dole’s bananas distributed in norway. this initiative, led by Østfoldforskning, a norwegian research institute, is based on a life cycle assessment approach and includes impacts beyond the greenhouse gases emissions. about dole food company dole, with 2010 net revenues of $6.9 billion, is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, and is the leading producer of organic bananas and producer/shipper of organic pineapples. dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research. for more information, please visit www.dole.com. for more information on dole’s sustainability initiatives, please visit www.dolesustainability.com.
DOLE Ratings Summary
DOLE Quant Ranking