Industrial products for food manufacturers
Retailers and industrial users are both important customer categories for Hadley’s products.
“Most of our retail line is in the form of clear plastic tubs,” Keck said. “We offer the full spectrum of the trade.” That consists mainly of “retail packages of whole and pitted dates — Medjools, Deglet Noors and Zahidis” as well as date coconut rolls and date almond rolls.
Hadley also supplies retailers with “a full complement of the seasonal retail display” materials needed to help boost their sales.
In addition to the retail packs, “we also offer the full complement of industrial products for food manufacturers” including companies that make such products as trail mixes and energy bars.
“This year we will have a better ability to supply that market and better quality than we have seen in many years,” he said. Hadley does the processing of its products for the industrial market, converting most of its byproduct-grade dates into forms customers need and shipping in bulk to food manufacturing firms, he added.
“Our diced pieces are actually in the retail line as well, so [consumers] can buy those. They are more convenient for cooking or making trail mixes at home,” Keck said.
The use of dates as an ingredient “is a strong market,” Keck continued. “Dates have definitely proven very popular in that segment, and they are very versatile and very healthy, so they are gaining popularity and wider acceptance.”
Hadley’s date sales are “pretty much all domestic,” he said. “We are enjoying increasing popularity with the American consumer culture,” and that is not just because dates are good but because there is “a healthy awareness developing in American consumers.” Dates “fit very nicely” into that.