August marks the beginning of Medjool date harvest season, and Yuma, Ariz, -based Bard Valley Natural Delights is primed for a successful harvest season this year.
Natural Delights expects ample Medjool date supply from this year’s harvest to meet the year-round business needs, including the ongoing development of innovative snacking lines. Natural Delights sales and volume are also outpacing Medjool date category growth and household penetration of Medjool dates in the U.S. has grown from 8 to 8.4% since last year, which equates to roughly 500,000 new households, according to a news release.
As the brand continues to grow, so does its internal team. Neil Merritt was recently promoted from North American Sales Director to Global Director of Sales and several new team members were added to the company’s roster this year including:
● Natalia Toccoli as Digital Marketing Manager
● Bridgette Weber as Trade Marketing Manager
● Kyle Oliver as Product Manager
● Shayna Telesmanic as International Sales Manager
● Anggarda Putra as International Sales Manager
“As we wrap up our 2021-22 crop year, we are on pace to double the size of our business over the next five years and global sales will play a huge role in achieving that goal,” said Neil Merritt, global director of sales at Natural Delights in the release.
“The expansion of our internal marketing team in preparation for the 2022-23 crop year puts us in a position to meet the growing needs of the brand,” added David Baxter, director of marketing for Natural Delights. “As we continue to invest in large-scale marketing initiatives to drive sales, we are also better equipped to provide helpful tools and resources to our sales team, retail partners, and ultimately the consumer.”
To celebrate this year’s harvest, Natural Delights is hosting its annual Harvest Tour for retailers, influencers, and media this September. As part of the tour, guests will get first-hand experience behind-the-scenes harvesting, sorting, and packing Medjool dates in order to see the full process from shoot to shelf.
