Dole has reported fourth-quarter profit before taxes and interest and said it sold three manufacturing plants in Latin America to reduce its debt.
Dole said gains during the quarter were offset by higher marketing expenses related to the national roll-out of its new packaged salad items and lower profit from Asian fresh fruits, reports Reuters.
The company reported earnings before interest and taxes of $70 million (£44.8m), compared with $47m a year earlier, for the quarter ending 2 January, as it got a boost from foreign currency exchange and fuel hedging gains.
But revenue slumped seven per cent to $1.53 billion and Dole said it had amended certain senior secured credit facilities, and now expects to have no debt maturities till 2013.
Dole also said it reduced its total debt in 2009 by 30 per cent to $1.48bn through asset sales and IPO proceeds.
JP Morgan analyst Ken Goldman said the company's newly launched bagged salads could boost the revenue and earnings going forward.
Goldman said: "One possible bright side to the release was the long-struggling fresh vegetables segment, where Dole nearly broke even despite heavy marketing spending on its new bagged salads.”
The company had sold 35.7m shares in its IPO, raising $446.4m.
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