Randy Castro

Three generations of Randy Castro’s family have worked the date groves of Thermal. Both sets of  grandparents arrived in the Coachella Valley in the 1950s, and her family has been tilling the land ever since. Now, she and her sister Valeria are reimagining the business through Daties Dates, the retail branch of their certified-organic farm, and bringing an aesthetic, design-forward approach to the desert’s top crop. Think pink boxes, sleek typography, shareable Instagram content, and cheeky taglines like, “Are we dating?!”

“We’re a traditional farm with modern branding,” Castro says. “We take a lot of pride in making sure everything’s organic. It’s raw, it’s healthy, it’s a superfood.”

As chief of operations, she oversees logistics, marketing, and product development, including the upcoming release of date sugar and syrup. She aims to build upon the family legacy and lead by example for her two children. “I want to be known for leading with strength and softness,” Castro says. “And for standing in my power, rooted in my values, like a palm tree in the sun.”