Jordan: Demand for organic Medjool dates increasing

The Jordanian company, Good Food Mood Company, is specialized in the trade of organic Medjool dates. In particular, the company has established itself, in a short time, as an expert in organic dates. Both the company itself and its products are certified for organic trade.

“The export of organic dates is increasing rapidly,” says general manager Iyad Abu Awad. “There are different organic farms in Jordan with different products and categories.”

Jordanian consumers are become more aware of locally produced dates. 7 or 8 years ago, there was a consumer trend already for organic produce, but the average Jordanian consumer didn’t know about their very own organic dates. This type of produce has become better known now, and Jordanian consumers nowadays prefer locally produced dates.

"Organic farming differs from conventional production in a number of ways. For one, organic produce only attracts a certain segment of a consumer base, making it a niche product. This is why we need to establish more awareness in the local market, but it also means there is an incentive to tap into the export market,” says Abu Awad.

According to Abu Awad, the consumers that buy organic dates are health aware families with a higher income. They’re generally parents who want what’s best for their children with regards to food health.



Good Food Mood Company works exclusively with the organic farms of the Jordanian Medjool dates. For its export markets, the company has partnered up with the British trader Organic UK. Through this company, the dates are shipped to the UK and rest of Europe.

“We’re still a young company. We started in 2014 and got in touch with Organic UK only last year. For this reason we only export about 20% of our total production.”

While Good Food Mood Company is at heart a commercial organization, Abu Awad says that the choice to focus on the export of organic dates was motivated by idealism. “We need to deliver a message to the international market, that Jordan is country that is capable of producing healthy organic items. Our trade promotes our nation.”

Abu Awad is a member of a committee that was recently set up for the stimulation of organic production. The committee tries to help organic farmers with their production process and assists in finding international markets. There is also support from the Jordanian government. The Ministry of Agriculture has set up a program for the development of the organic sector.



The main challenge for the company is quality control. “There were some technical obstacles. For instance, since we can’t use chemicals, we have no means to treat pests or disease during the production. We also came across some difficulties when we were just starting out with the export. But we’ve learnt from this. We’ve established standard quality parameters and a solid supply chain, certified storage and proper logistics. We are now able to advise retailers and wholesalers who buy our products on how to take care of organic products.”

The conflicts in Syria and Iraq have had consequences for the export from Jordan. The company must now export by sea to reach its most important market of Turkey. Though it would be much more efficient to use transport by land, the situation in Syria effectively blocks this type of transport. Apart from that, the shipment across sea comes with its own logistical issues.

“We need to fill at least one container if we want to export to Turkey or Eastern Europe. This forces us to export more dates. This in itself isn’t that much of a problem, as the local market for dates is completely saturated. We therefore need to export regionally anyway.”

Abu Awad’s company is also trying to gain access to new markets in Africa and the Far East. "Malaysia is an interesting market because of their high buying power."

Jordan’s date production is unique, as it is the main production area for the Medjool-variety. Saudi-Arabia has tried its hand at growing Medjool dates, but it turned out to be impossible as the local soil lacked the characteristics of the Jordanian environment. The main competitors for Jordan are California, South Africa, Palestine and Israel but Abu Awad isn’t worried.

“Jordanian Medjool dates will have a good position in the international market in the next five years. We do need more support and innovation. Each market has different requirements that need research. We, need to think of packaging, branding and of ways to enhance our quality. This will help us achieve a good position in the world market,” concludes Abu Awad.