Food giant Dole eyes bigger slice of Chinese market

Dole, the world's largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit and vegetables, will continue to invest big in the Chinese market despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its top executives.

"As a multinational company in fresh fruit and vegetables, Dole has always been confident in investing in the Chinese market. Dole's high-quality fruit, along with our mature technology from planting to producing, will continue to offer strong impetus to the country's economic development," said Terry Chan, general manager of Dole China.

Chan's remarks came after Dole and Shanghai Disney Resort inked a multi-year alliance recently, where two sides will deepen collaboration, including the development of trendy products for local customers.

The two sides, for instance, have co-launched a special drink cup. With Dole's golden pineapple and Disney's Chip 'n' Dale cartoon figure as the prototype, the drink cup will be sold soon in the resort.

"Through the strategic alliance, we shared our same vision of promoting high-quality products and healthy lifestyles. We look forward to further enhancing our visitor experience and continuously bringing them health and happiness," said Xue Yijun, president and general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort.

According to Wang Na, Dole's brand director, China is one of Dole's fastest growing markets across the world and accounts for 20 percent of the total revenue globally.

A report from Ernst & Young showed that the current fruit retailing market in China is about 600 billion yuan, of which imported fruit accounts for about 10 percent. The imported fruit market will continue to grow substantially over the next five years, it said.

"Though the COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges, we see opportunities coming through the market. A growing number of customers tend to pay more attention on high-quality fruit and vegetables," said Wang.

Wang said that such demand is in line with Dole's goal to provide quality fruit and vegetables. "Therefore, we are confident in the future presence here in the Chinese market."

Under the new deal, visitors to the Shanghai Disneyland can also taste the golden pineapple seafood fried rice, sweet banana mixed nut cake and other special fruit snacks co-developed by Dole and Shanghai Disneyland.

During the epidemic, demand for online fresh food surged and Dole's products in major e-commerce platform JD also increased two to three times during the period, Wang noted.

"Sensing these new opportunities, we immediately changed the form of product packaging. We add small packages of corns and other products to quickly respond to market and consumer needs," she said.