As yet, Saudi dates are almost unknown outside Saudi Arabia, but that will soon change. “Early April, we started importing dates from Saudi Arabia to compete with the Medjoul dates. The dates grow in the region of the Al-Asha oasis in eastern Saudi Arabia, wher there are millions of palm trees. Due to good climatological circumstances, the dates grown there taste delicious,” says Mustapha Chihabi from Belgian company, Tomoor and M1 Distribution. “The Saudi Arabians themselves consume an enormous amount of the dates, so they never thought about export before.”

Nature’s sweets
The dates are harvested in Saudi Arabia in October. “These are then immediately stored in freezers. They are taken out, washed and packed per order. This ensures year-round availability of the dates.” The country has more than 350 varieties of dates. “We’ve chosen the seven most flavourful, and will make these known to the European market. The differences are in sweetness, texture, colour and flavour. All varieties are organic. We’ll market the products under brand Tomoor. We currently offer packaging of 500 grammes, but will also start supplying them in smaller packaging. Most Europeans are not yet ready for such a large volume all at once.”

Increasing popularity
Mustapha has noticed that the popularity of dates is increasing considerably. “More and more people are getting to know dates because of the increasing attention paid to their health benefits, and consumption increases annually. Dates have enormous potential. The Saudi date is a healthy replacement for sugar, they could be called nature’s sweets.” He expects that the ethnic target audience will welcome this new date with open arms. “They are familiar with dates, but not yet with the ones from Saudi Arabia. The muslim community has a lot of respect for this country, so this gives this particular date a head start on the market.”

Tomoor is also looking for multiple distributors in Europe. “We receive the containers in Antwerp, and from there we can further distribute them. Prices are lower than those of dates from other countries. This way, we can introduce them to a larger target audience. We’ll also have an online shop for the dates, so that everyone can easily order the Saudi dates online.”