With the 2025 harvest underway, Bard Valley Natural Delights is forecasting a return to more typical volumes while doubling down on organics and introducing innovation with its Tajín-seasoned Medjool dates.

David Baxter, vice president of sales and marketing told The Produce News that the cooperative is down from last year’s bumper crop but well within expectations given the alternate-bearing nature of date palms.

“Last season was a large crop year,” Baxter said. “This year with expected volume being a bit more normal. We planned for less volume this year by increasing the amount of fruit we have available to cover from year to year.”

One benefit of the smaller crop is larger fruit. “Last year, given the size of the harvest, the dates were actually smaller,” he said. “This year we expect the palms to produce slightly larger fruit given they will not be as crowded.”

Baxter noted that 2024’s extreme heat, which arrived early and persisted without rain, drove a particularly strong harvest. “This year we consider it to be more of a normal growing season in terms of weather,” he said. “The only real impact here is harvest timing, which again we planned for with extra carryover fruit.”

While Medjool dates remain a staple for holiday and Ramadan promotions, Baxter said the in-between seasons are showing significant growth.

“We are seeing a more consistent and growing demand for dates year-round,” he explained. “Additionally, Ramadan shifts forward by 10 days every year and is getting closer and closer to our holiday season. For export, this means we will start shipping around October and November to get fruit there in time. In the U.S., retailers have to plan a little earlier for their promotions. The key to Ramadan promotions is starting at the right time, which is actually about one to two weeks before the holiday starts.”

Natural Delights continues to lean into its position as an industry leader in organic Medjool dates. “Over the last five years our farms have been converting to organic more and more, with most of our fruit now organic,” Baxter said.

The cooperative is also planning for the future. “We are looking into certification to register all of our growers as Regenerative Organic to take the next step forward,” he added. “We are also working toward releasing an annual sustainability report to track our progress toward being a more sustainable co-op.”

From a buyer perspective, organics are seamless. “There is very little difference,” Baxter said. “We use organic pollen and fertilizer. We have always grown like that. From a fruit quality and appearance standpoint there is also little difference given we follow essentially the same practices.”

Natural Delights is also creating buzz with its Tajín-seasoned dates for National Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Definitely both,” Baxter said when asked whether the product was a snack innovation or a gateway to new consumers. “We’ve seen a lot of excitement from influencers on Instagram that want to use it to give traditional dishes a cultural twist, which is fun in addition to snacking with flavor.”

With steady supply, a growing organic footprint, and fresh innovation in the value-added space, Natural Delights is positioned to keep Medjool dates front and center for retailers and consumers alike.