Howard Rice Represents J.R. Wood in Capital Stock Acquisition by Dole Food Company

For Immediate Release:

San Francisco, CA—May 18, 2004—Howard Rice is representing J.R. Wood, Inc., a leading producer and marketer of frozen fruit products, in its capital stock acquisition by Dole Food Company, Inc. The parties agreed to the acquisition on April 28, 2004 and the transaction, valued at $162.5 million in cash, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2004, subject to antitrust clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.

Ann Wood, Chairman of J.R. Wood, stated: "The Wood family is excited to have the opportunity to combine the strengths of our frozen fruit business with Dole's worldwide brand and reputation for quality. We believe that the combination of J.R. Wood's long history of success in frozen fruit with Dole's leading fresh fruit and vegetable operations will create significant advantages for our customers."

David H. Murdock, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dole Food Company, Inc., stated: "We are extremely pleased with our acquisition of this premier company, which is a market leader and quality provider in the frozen fruit category. This is a natural extension of Dole's existing fruit and vegetable strategy and offers an opportunity to extend the Dole brand into the frozen fruit section of the produce industry."

The team of Howard Rice attorneys working on the transaction includes: Directors Deborah Marshall and Ronald Star, and Associates Edward Deibert, Celia Van Gorder and Clay Coon. The in-house legal team at Dole includes: C. Michael Carter, Jeffrey Conner, Tim Oswald, and Genevieve Kelly.

In addition, Thomas Weisel Partners LLC served as financial advisor to J.R. Wood.

Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin P.C. is a San Francisco-based law firm with leading national and international practices, representing entities and individuals across a comprehensive range of practice areas. Our clients are among the most sophisticated consumers of legal services and include: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.; Beverages & More!; The Charles Schwab Corporation; Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.; Digital River, Inc.; First Republic Bank; Genentech, Inc.; Google, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Co.; Morgan Stanley; The Oakland Raiders; PlanetOut Inc.; Sony Online Entertainment; United States Olympic Committee; and Wells Fargo & Company.