Atlas Produce & Distribution Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, this fall introduced a new package, a 12-ounce clamshell, for all of the company’s products, according to Ben Antongiovanni, sales manger.

The company is also in the process of “rolling out our new website, which is CarmelNaturel.com,” he said Oct. 22.

Date coconut rolls with almonds in Atlas’s new clear plastic clamshell packaging, carrying the company’s ‘Caramel Naturel’ label. (Photo Courtesy of Atlas Produce & Distribution Inc.)“With the website we will have lots of recipes and consumer information about handling dates” as well as information on “the process the dates go through” from growing through distribution, he said. “Our website will be the hub for our social media marketing which will include Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.”

The newly introduced 12-ounce clamshell is being used “for all of our products, which are the Medjool dates, the date coconut rolls, the date almond rolls, the California chopped dates, and the pitted Deglet dates,” Mr. Antongiovonni said.

The clamshell is environmentally friendly, because it is made with recyclable PET1 plastic. The way it is manufactured “eliminates five processing steps,” reducing energy consumption in the manufacturing process by 65 percent. “It has a 28 percent lower carbon footprint compared to other plastic containers.”

The new clamshell “really shows off the quality of the product and sits well on the shelf,” he said. “It is easy for stores to merchandise.”

It “highlights the ‘Carmel Naturel’ brand,” he added. “We just want to provide our customers with the best-quality fruit we can, and nice packaging can help increase sales.”

The package labeling is designed in such a way that it allows good visibility of the product inside, he explained. “Our quality is excellent, and we like to show off our quality in our pack. We don’t want to cover it up with a label. We like to have our excellent quality sell the fruit for the retailers, because we are proud of the fruit we grow and offer to the end consumer.”

All of Atlas Produce’s dates are California-grown, and to spotlight that fact, the company is a member of the Buy California Grown marketing initiative, Mr. Antongiovanni said. “We joined that organization, and we are touting that all our dates are 100 percent California-grown. There are not many date companies that sell only California fruit. A lot of companies sell fruit from California, Arizona and Mexico. But we are proud to sell 100 percent California-grown fruit, and we feel that California fruit is the best fruit in the world.”

When The Produce News talked to Mr. Antongiovanni, Atlas was just wrapping up its 2012 harvest. “The crop looks amazing this year,” he said. “The fruit is big and plump, and I would say our volume is up by 15 percent. The whole industry is probably going to be up 15 percent as well,” mostly due to new plantings coming into production but also “just due to the phenomenal summer weather we are in and great growing conditions for Medjool dates in California.”

Dates are becoming less of a seasonal item than they once were and are growing in popularity year-round. They are “becoming a foodie item,” Mr. Antongiovanni said. Traditionally, they have been mainly a holiday item, and there is still a bump in sales for the holidays. In fact, “there are still ‘a lot of families out there that only eat dates during the holidays. They remember from their childhood eating dates” at Thanksgiving and Christmas “and want to give that experience to their children as well.”

Atlas’s date coconut rolls and date almond rolls are particularly popular for the holidays and are “amazing additions to a Thanksgiving dinner,” Mr. Antongiovanni said. “A lot of people 30 years ago used to make them themselves, and it was kind of a staple item for the holidays. We produce fresh, good-quality date rolls that are as good as any you can make in your kitchen, and people found it convenient to buy ours … for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”