Aside from its natural beauty, Old Hollywood history, and vibrant cultural scene, the Coachella Valley is also famous for its dates, which were introduced from the Middle East more than 120 years ago and have flourished here thanks to the sunny and dry climate — ideal for the cultivation of date palms.
Known as the date capital of the United States, the Coachella Valley contains dozens of date farms that produce and export more than an estimated 90 percent of the country’s dates. Here, we chat with two influential date farmers whose families have fostered the Coachella Valley agriculture scene for multiple generations. For more info about the desert’s favorite fruit, visit datesaregreat.com.
Albert P. Keck II
Hadley Date Gardens
Albert Keck’s family began farming dates in the Coachella Valley in the early 1940s and, after purchasing Hadley Date Gardens, originally founded by Paul Hadley, merged their companies in the late 1980s.
Today, Hadley Date Gardens produces medjool, deglet noor, and golden zahidi dates and distributes them in major retail outlets as well as to food service and commercial food manufacturing companies. They use sustainable water and soil management practices as well as solar energy, and the company takes pride in its family values and tight-knit team of employees.
“We have a very dedicated and hardworking team — the average tenure is 15 years,” Keck says. “Every day we celebrate being able to do this and create something together. I don’t ever take it for granted.”
How did you get into the date industry?
I grew up farming with my dad, so it was a very natural transition for me. I grew up in Indio, went to Stanford University, and eventually joined my dad to work for the family business. It’s very much a family endeavor — my sister handles our books and accounting, my brother-in-law is in production and sales, and after completing his Army service duty, my son, Paul, has now returned to join us in the family business and represents the fourth generation.
What makes Coachella Valley dates so special?
The Coachella Valley has an extremely unique climate. It’s one of the driest places in the world and also has one of the most abundant water supplies. We have wonderful soil for growing special crops. The arid climate helps with disease and pest control, and it’s extremely hot in the summer, which dates need for developing and ripening. All of these combined factors make it a superior place for growing dates.
Favorite date variety?
A deglet noor straight off the tree is heaven — it’s the perfect balance of texture, firmness, and sweetness. It’s got a very rich and mellow caramel-like flavor to it.
Best way to prepare dates?
My morning routine consists of four or five dates, a handful of pecans, and I’m out the door. For Christmas one year, a friend gave me some date, oatmeal, and pecan cookies. I twisted her arm to get the recipe, and now I make them every year.
Most rewarding part of your work?
I get to wake up every morning, work with wonderful people in a beautiful environment, and be the conductor of all the efforts and input that go into growing a crop, then at the end of the year see the fruits of our labor and celebrate the successful harvest together. It never gets old.
Favorite local spot to take visitors?
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is a treasure in the Coachella Valley — it takes you above 8,500 feet in elevation in just a few short miles. That’s pretty impressive.
George Jeffrey
George Jeffrey
Pacific Date Corporation and Sun Lovin’ Foods
The great-grandson of Warren Pinney, the instrumental manager who transformed and reinvented Palm Springs’ El Mirador Hotel in the 1930s, George Jeffrey was raised on a date farm. His father founded California Redi-Date in 1966. Then, in 2012, Jeffrey and his friend Jesse Nunez formed Pacific Date Corporation, a leading supplier of dates in the Coachella Valley.
While experimenting in his kitchen, Jeffrey came up with the idea for date bites — a high-energy, nutrient-dense snack filled with sunflower butter. This led to the 2023 creation of Sun Lovin’ Foods, a subsidiary of Pacific Date Corporation that cultivates a diverse range of products starring the date.
“We knew we had to be more than a date company,” Jeffrey says. “We wanted to offer something that incorporated our dates and was healthy. I’m a chef at heart, and when I brought the date bites to test out on my colleagues at work, everyone loved them. That’s when I knew we were onto something different and unique.”
How did you get into the date industry?
We were originally orange growers and relocated to Thermal from Irvine. I grew up on a date farm and was driving a tractor when I was 10 years old. I sold dates at the farmers market when I was a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; now my son is attending college in Santa Barbara and sells dates at the local farmers market. I can see my childhood home from my office window. Dates have always been a part of my life.
What varieties of dates do you grow?
In the old days, my dad grew 12 different varieties. Since then, we’ve narrowed it down to three: medjool, which is the king of dates; deglet noor, which lends itself really well to industrial use; as well as zahidi, a semi-dry date.
Favorite date variety?
I like a deglet noor or barhi date. You can’t believe what you’re eating, they’re so good.
Best way to prepare dates?
Aside from eating them plain, one of my favorite ways to enjoy dates is on a thin-crust pizza with Canadian bacon and goat cheese. The Tack Room Tavern in Indio makes an incredible medjool date pizza. I also like to make energy bites utilizing dates as the primary base like we do in our Sun Lovin’ Bites.
Fun facts about dates that most people don’t know?
Bees aren’t attracted to the female date palms, so we have to manually pollinate them by hand. One male date palm has enough pollen for 50 females. Date palms live for a long time, you can drive through Indian Wells and see palms that are 80 to 90 years old. There are close to 60 date varieties around the world.
Favorite local spot?
The Bump and Grind trail in Palm Desert is a great workout.
