With corporate social responsibility pretty much a given practice at most firms today, Dole Korea has been eager to diversify its activities, and this is helping to raise brand awareness.

The local branch of the global company recently launched campaigns to promote its vitamin-rich bananas, the company said, as it aims to become the most popular food company in Korea by providing fresh, superior-quality fruits and vegetables to consumers. One of the company's activities includes supporting elementary schools. This year, the company began supporting elementary schools located near the Dole Korea offices and the Malagos Elementary School in the Philippines where bananas and pineapples are produced. To facilitate more effective overseas support programs, certain programs have been implemented through the Community Chest of Korea, the company said. The "Healthy 5 Colors Campaign," a program to urge people to eat vegetables and fruits of five different colors five times a day, has been carried out since 2004. As part of this campaign, free cooking classes for children were offered more than 120 times. Dole Korea has been continuously upgrading itself as a company that cares about the health of its customers. This year, Dole Korea signed an agreement with Seoul Metropolitan City to launch the "Food market, food bank" program. The program is intended to help people in need. Under the slogan of "Let's begin a healthy and energized morning with a banana - the ultimate hassle-free breakfast," Dole Korea launched the "Good Morning Banana Campaign" in the second half of 2007. To get closer to its consumers, Dole Korea introduced a new calligraphic logo and is launching ad campaigns and public relations activities, and holding promotions. In 2006, the Good Morning Banana experience event targeted company workers on their way to work. Last year, the event expanded to target college students and housewives in their 30s and 40s. To increase its contacts with consumers, Dole Korea's marketing activities which had centered on Seoul expanded to Busan. Moreover, diverse online and offline events were launched for the positioning of the Dole banana as a breakfast and meal replacement. For instance, bananas have been provided as snacks to soccer players in the K-League's Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Seongnam Ilhwa, the company said. Diverse promotional activities targeting spectators including banana sampling and sponsoring marathons have been carried out. The banana is introduced as "a simple replacement meal before and after exercises." The promotional activities are intended to emphasize the banana's portability and its strengths as a convenient source of energy replenishment. Diverse CSR activities, including support for rehabilitation activities for the handicapped, sponsorship of elementary schools in the Philippines and Korea, and food bank support projects, are also being carried out. Dole Korea has established a sisterhood relationship with the Seoul Community Rehabilitation Center to implement rehabilitation programs. Last April, employees of Dole Korea participated in a "Cafes for Sharing" event to raise funds for the self-sustenance of the handicapped. Kim Young-sil of Dole Korea's Corporate/General Affairs Team was involved in the event and says, "Participating as a volunteer brought satisfaction and the event made me proud of being an employee of Dole Korea." Kim emphasized that CSR activities are greatly beneficial to the local community, customers, and enterprises themselves. Dole Korea, which was established in Korea with the corporate image of being an importer of foreign fruits, successfully launched Sweetio, a premium brand of imported fruits with incomparable quality. To be re-born as a leading comprehensive provider of agricultural products in Korea, Dole Korea will continue to support local communities and neighbors in need as a good Samaritan company with CSR activities.