Dole Peru or COPDEBAN (Corporación Peruana de Desarrollo Bananero S.A.C.) began operations in 2001 and sources Organic and Organic/Fairtrade bananas from over 1,900 small farmers.

Products and Areas of Production

COPDEBAN sources Organic and Organic/Fairtrade bananas from the Chira Valley, in Northern Peru.

Independent Growers

COPDEBAN does not own any farms or packing houses. The Company sources fruit from approximately 1,900 family farmers, totaling approximately 1,570 hectares.
COPDEBAN has 40 full-time employees

Environmental Practices

COPDEBAN is the only totally organic operation in the Dole family. To protect the environment, COPDEBAN’s programs include:

• Implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
• Replacement of fertilizers and pesticides with organic fertilizers
• Implementation of waste management programs (appropriate disposal of plastics, composting, banana waste)
• Resource conservation

Labor Conditions

COPDEBAN’s labor policies follow Dole’s labor policies.

Community Programs

Support for rural development initiatives include improvement of schools, sports programs, medical caravan's, wells, maintenance of rural roads and strengthening of Small Farmers’ Associations.

Main Certifications

• COPDEBAN has obtained the following organic certifications:
  • USDA - National Organic Program Organic Rule (7 CFR Part 205) - United States
  • EU 2092/91 – Europe
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Japan Agriculture Service – Japan
• COPDEBAN has been certified to the GlobalGAP standard
• COPDEBAN is also registered as a Fairtrade exporter and exports Fairtrade/organic certified bananas to Europe. These bananas are produced by Fairtrade-certified growers located in the Chira Valley
  Awards

COPDEBAN received the Company of the Year Award in Peru in both 2003 and 2004