At Palm Fruits, the new date season has begun. "We are increasingly developing into a one-stop shop for dates. For example, we import Medjoul dates from various countries, enabling us to offer a wide range for both retail and wholesale," says Dirk Jan van Dijk.
"The date market keeps growing. More and more, dates are seen as a healthy snack and, because of this, demand is rising worldwide," says Dirk Jan. "The advantage of this is also that you end up with an empty market every season. That used to be more difficult at times."
"You can also see this growth reflected in the plantings of Medjoul dates in different countries. The crop has definitely expanded by 5–10% again this year. We work with growers in different countries, although it remains a challenge to obtain the quality our customers expect from each origin. That is why we work closely with growers to guide them," Van Dijk explains.
© Palm FruitsFard date
During Fruit Attraction, Palm Fruits will present two new date varieties from Oman: the Khalas date and the Fard date. "Khalas is a date with a pleasant, strong caramel flavour, and the Fard is a slightly darker date with a firmer bite, both very interesting for retail in terms of price and taste. The trials of both varieties have been well received by our customers."
Shomisha 
© Palm FruitsThe dates are marketed under the Shomisha brand in both bulk and retail packaging. "This brand has now established itself in wholesale, and we are now busy conquering retail with it as well. These new varieties are offered in two new colourful packs, making them clearly recognisable."
Both date varieties are grown organically. "The cultivation is also organic-certified, and we are in the process of obtaining certification for the packing station as well," continues Dirk Jan. "This way, we keep looking for value-added dates. It is quite a search, as there are as many as 2,000 date varieties on the market worldwide. Many varieties are similar, but we look for distinctive ones that may already be known here and there, but to which we apply our strict Palm Fruits selection."
Palm Fruit is an exhibitor at Fruit Attraction, Hall 6 C-02
© Izak Heijboer | FreshPlaza.comFor more information:
Dirk Jan van Dijk
Palm Fruits
Tel: +31 10 437 16 38
[email protected]
www.palmfruits.nl