BAKERSFIELD, CA - With Ramadan just around the corner, Atlas Produce is gearing up for the holiday push with its growing presence in the date category. Shipper of 100 percent natural, California-grown dates, Atlas Produce offers a variety of date options under its popular Caramel Naturel Brand.
Ben Antongiovanni, VP of Sales, took a few minutes to chat with me about promoting the category and taking advantage of holiday sales.
“Prior to Ramadan we get out in front of our customers and encourage them to pay attention to Ramadan. The month of Ramadan runs from June 17 to July 17. Date sales spike the three weeks before the start. With a little planning, retailers will be surprised with how well dates can move for Ramadan,” Ben tells me.
For Ramadan, Atlas, and Caramel Naturel advises retailers to build large displays of Fresh Medjool dates near the Bananas or berries.
“We also like to add Date Coconut rolls and Date almonds to the display for incremental sales,” Ben notes. “Dates are not just for your grandparents anymore. More and more consumers are experimenting with great date recipes and consumption is growing. We also see strong growth with Millennials. The younger generation sees the health benefits of dates and are snacking on them more often. We also see a lot of customers adding dates to their post workout or morning smoothies.”
This year’s Medjool crop was extremely good for Atlas. Quality is still very nice and should stay that way through the summer. The company is anticipating goods volume of conventional and organic dates going into Ramadan.
For some great recipe ideas visit www.CaramelNaturel.com and don’t forget to tap into the growing demographics that are beginning to make dates a staple in their daily diets.
