Buoyed by a 20 percent volume increase in the 2015 Medjool date crop, Bard Valley Date Growers is in a strong position as it rolls out new date roll “Natural Delights”-brand products this fall.  

Bard Valley Date Growers is a new name for what was previously the Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association.  The group is based in Bard, CA, which is across the Colorado River from Yuma, AZ.

“Pecan Pumpkin Pie Spiced” date rolls are a new product that is available this fall, said Erin Hanagan-Muths, director of marketing for Bard Valley Date Growers. In November, December and January, Bard Valley will be marketing “Dark Chocolate Orange” date rolls. Each of these are limited editions that will be available for only a limited time.  

Two other Natural Delights date roll products — “Almond” and “Coconut” — this fall are being re-introduced in new packaging. The fresh-looking packaging “is more appealing,” Hanagan-Muths noted.  These are available on a year-round basis.  

This fall Bard Valley is putting forth “a huge consumer marketing effort” to promote its date products.  

A social media program, involving Facebook, Twitter and Instagram has started with teasers for the public.  These teasers bring attention “and immediately people want to know where to buy.”

In October the consumer campaign will give 10,000 free date roll samples to customers who enter a contest.  Consumers will receive coupons for a discount on retail purchases.

New this year is a geographically-targeted social media campaign. This is based on Bard Valley customers’ store locations. Through social media, consumers that have already expressed an interest in the product will receive information on the location of nearby stores that are selling Natural Delights-brand date products.  

“This closes the loop and brings the retailers to consumers who are looking for the products. This is very personalized communication that we are able to do with our ‘Natural Delights’ Medjool dates.”

This holiday season, Bard Valley will have two flights of consumer advertising in three major journals. This consumer advertising will have a “Naughty or Nice” theme.  “Nice” serving suggestions involve traditional fresh fruit.  While “Naughty” uses involve ingredients like bacon or cheese.

Bard Valley Date Growers members produce 4,000 acres of Medjool dates. The fruit is grown on the California and Arizona sides of the Colorado River. Much of the fruit is produced at a low elevation — with a high water table — right in the Colorado River Valley.  There is a mesa a few miles to the south on the Mexican border, where Medjool dates are also produced.   

Many of the Medjool palms are reaching production maturity, explaining the 20 percent increase in volume compared to the 2014 crop.

The date harvest began in mid-August and is expected to run through the first week of October. “We are seeing a great crop this year,” said Hanagan-Muths. “There are so many more trees coming into maturity. Every year we have more fruit-bearing trees coming on line.”   

She added, “We have been very lucky with the weather this year.  We have had the needed extreme heat.”

And Yuma has not experienced the torrential rains of Arizona’s “monsoon season” that have hit Phoenix this summer. Because the soil along the Colorado River is so rich, a large volume of rain makes it very muddy. But that has not been a problem this summer.