Oasis Date launches with former Wonderful, Sun World executives at the helm – Produce Blue Book

YUMA, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oasis Date launches today, with significant scale and vertical integration through its 5,000+ farmed acres of organic Medjool dates and a 500k square foot processing footprint. Oasis Date is also the majority supplier to North America’s leading date brand, Natural Delights®, which enjoys category leadership in sales and distribution. While the Oasis Date name may be new, the farming and processing businesses on which it was built have operated for years.

Oasis Date CEO, Adam Cooper, was hired from The Wonderful Company, where he spent 8+ years leading marketing for Wonderful’s multi-billion-dollar portfolio of iconic brands. He had the great fortune of learning directly from 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,” said Cooper. “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.”

A major tenet for Oasis Date is a commitment to farming practices that nurture the environment and support its people. As an important proof of that intent, Oasis Date is proud to become the world’s first and only Regenerative Organic Certified® date farm. The Regenerative Organic Certification®, established in 2018, is often acknowledged as the highest standard for sustainability in agriculture.

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 fiber, potassium, and antioxidants, while providing a natural sweet boost of energy without the crash. Medjools are also a culinary secret weapon as their natural sweetness enhances any dish, sweet or savory, 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.

Oasis Date grows, processes and packs 1 billion prized organic Medjool dates annually in Southern California and Southwest Arizona. Yet this new enterprise actually has a storied history. Some of the very first Medjool date palm trees in North America were planted in the company’s ‘Oasis Date Gardens’ farm in the Coachella Valley over a century ago.

CEO Adam Cooper is joined by leadership with incredible sector bench strength including:

• Keith Mitchell, Chief Financial Officer,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.
• Ignacio Portilla,Chief Operations Officer, Farminghas 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.
• Ted Johnson, Chief Operations Officer, Processing has 40 years of agriculture experience, including leading North America’s top Medjool date farming operation.

Oasis Date

Oasis Date is North America’s largest date grower and processor, and majority supplier to North America’s leading date brand Natural Delights®, with operations in Southwest Arizona and Southern California. The company seeks to increase grower return and efficiency through its vertical integration model; and to do it all while focused on environmental sustainability and farmworker fairness. Oasis Date is proud to be the world’s first and only Regenerative Organic Certified® date farm. www.oasisdate.com.