Company becomes the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified date farm
Oasis Date is the name of a brand-new, vertically-integrated date company that has launched in the US today. With more than 2,000ha of production of Medjool dates in Southwest Arizona and Southern California and a 46,500-square metre processing footprint, the company is North America’s largest date grower and processor, packing 1bn organic Medjool dates annually. It is also the majority supplier to North America’s leading date brand, Natural Delights.
CEO, Adam Cooper, was hired from The Wonderful Company, where he spent more than eight years leading marketing for Wonderful’s multi-billion-dollar portfolio of iconic brands.
While there, he gained invaluable insights from owners Lynda & Stewart Resnick’s visionary leadership on how to build successful produce brands and businesses. Before The Wonderful Company, Cooper was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. serving clients in food, consumer packaged goods and retail.
“After spending the past year building Oasis Date, I believe dates are a tremendously underserved category, ripe for disruption and growth,” Cooper said. “Medjool dates, in particular, are a rarity – a sweet yet healthy snack, which holds tremendous appeal for today’s consumer who’s focused on nutrition and wellness without compromise. I’ve had a lot of experience turning an underappreciated snack category into one having a strong presence at retail and my focus is now solidly fixed on dates.”
The company said its aim is to increase grower return and efficiency through its vertical integration model, while focusing on environmental sustainability and farmworker fairness. As part of its commitment to farming practices that nurture the environment and support its people, it has become the world’s first and only Regenerative Organic Certified date farm.
“Oasis Date believes the Medjool date variety has enormous potential for exponential growth. Wellness and culinary experts are coming to understand what Medjool aficionados have long known. Medjool dates are not only delicious, but they are loaded with fibre, potassium, and antioxidants, while providing a natural sweet boost of energy without the crash,” the company said in a press release.
“Medjools are also a culinary secret weapon as their natural sweetness enhances any dish, sweet or savoury, so it’s no surprise that Medjool dates are quickly becoming an in-demand healthy sweet treat for consumers and are trending at retail. And as an innovation and research leader, Oasis Date is partnering with leading academic, health, and industry researchers on the science of date-growing and consumer trends.”
Cooper is joined by CFO Keith Mitchell, who brings 30 years of financial expertise in food and agriculture to Oasis Date, having served as CFO at Sun World International and Dole Food Company.
Also on the board are COO, farming Ignacio Portilla, who has been working for over 20 years in senior management roles at farming operations in North America and Latin American, and his expertise in sustainable farming is central to Oasis Date’s mission, and Ted Johnson, COO processing, who has 40 years of agriculture experience, including leading North America’s top Medjool date farming operation.
