Developed to meet the needs of today’s health conscious and busy consumer, the all new Coconut Date Clusters and Almond Date Clusters are convenient, bite-sized cousins to Natural Delights already popular date roll snack products. “The date clusters idea was a direct result of market research,” says Dave Anderson, the group’s Director of Marketing. “In other words, our customers, whether vitality seekers or active, on-the-go, young moms, wanted a date roll that would seamlessly fit into their busy lives.”
The coconut and almond varieties of this offering, which will be on display in both the New Products Showcase and in the Natural Delights Fresh Summit booth (number 5031) in New Orleans, are the first two flavors of the brand’s date rolls to be given the “cluster treatment”. The clusters are smaller and therefore ideal for adult snacks or kids’ lunch boxes.
The company plans to roll out cluster versions of their pistachio, chili-lime and organic date roll varieties once the coconut and almond clusters have made their impact on the market. Natural Delights’ snacking line is receiving wide acceptance from both trade and consumers, which has contributed to a 15% growth of the date category over the past year. Datepac expects the new clusters to add to that growth.
“We expect the clusters will serve multiple purposes for our brand and the Medjool date category as a whole,” says Edward O'Malley, President & CEO of Datepac, the brand’s packer/distributor. “These candy-like treats are so tasty that when consumers taste them, they are surprised that they’re also nutritious. And, for consumers who’ve never tried Medjool dates, this is the perfect introduction to inspire future purchases and curiosity about a fruit that’s been around for ages yet is new to them.”
