Dates are synonymous with Ramadan; it was one of the Prophet Muhammed’s sunnah (his normative practices) to break his fast at the sunset prayer of Maghrib with dates and water, and this is a practice that most Muslims across the world continue to follow 1,400 years later.
The world’s biggest exporters of dates are Tunisia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and topping the charts are Palestine and Israel.
Now more than ever, Muslim consumers are conscious about buying ethically sourced dates for Ramadan that are grown sustainably, and when it comes to buying Palestinian dates, ensuring that they are bought from brands that source their dates from Palestinian farmers, picked from palms on Palestinian-owned land.
“In today's interconnected world, purchasing power is a tool for change and every time a consumer makes a purchase, they are essentially casting a vote for the kind of world they envision,” UK-based social enterprise company Zaytoun tells The New Arab.
Zaytoun was founded in 2004 with the mission of supporting Palestinian-producing communities through fair trade.
“We encourage consumers to consider the provenance of the dates they break their fast with and the values and ethics upheld by the businesses they support. We advocate for transparency in supply chains, fair labour practices, and environmentally sustainable production methods."
Zaytoun
This award-winning social enterprise is a firm favourite with fairtrade shops, wholefoods retailers, delis and Islamic gift shops across the UK.
The UK-based company has made it its mission to ethically source sustainably grown Medjoul dates from Palestinian farmers in the Jordan Valley; they purchase Jericho’s Finest Medjoul dates from Palestinian companies who buy them directly from Palestinian farmers.
They also have a personal relationship with their date suppliers and visit them regularly. You can check out their farmers’ profiles on their website, such as Palestinian farmer Ahmed Saeed Mawahry who has been growing Medjoul dates for the past 15 years on his farmland.
Yaffa
Sheffield-based online store Yaffa, which specialises in selling ethically sourced Palestinian food products, sells a wide range of Medjoul dates sourced from Palestinian farmers harvesting dates from palms on Palestinian-owned farmland in a town called Jiftlik just outside of Jericho.
They deal directly with the farmers, creating job opportunities and supporting Palestinian farming communities. As well as selling them online, Yaffa distributes dates to a wide range of ethnic and whole foods stores across the UK, USA, Europe, Qatar, Malaysia, South Africa and Bangladesh.
Al ‘Ard
This third-generation family-run business was born in Palestine, in the city of Nablus. The Anabtawi family has spent the last 16 years researching and implementing best practices when it comes to organic and sustainable farming; Subhi Anabtawi travelled across Europe to learn about organic farming and fair-trade practices.
The company is heavily involved in supporting Palestinian farmers and wholesale food suppliers, combining state-of-the-art equipment, expertise and facilities with traditional Palestinian methods of farming and food production.
Al ‘Ard’s Medjoul dates are harvested and sorted by Palestinian farmers in Jericho and can be purchased from one of their online stores (USA & Canada, Saudi Arabia, Europe or Chile) or in-store from a range of stockists in America, the UK and Europe.
Holy Land Dates from Palestine
This West Midlands-based online seller of Palestinian products includes Medjoul dates from Palestinian farmers in Jericho, including Palestinian women farmers; 50% of net profits from their Medjoul dates are donated to supporting vulnerable children worldwide.
Holy Land Dates are currently selling gift boxes of chocolate-dipped Medjoul dates and each purchase will provide one meal for a Palestinian in Gaza, as well as an option to gift Medjoul dates to Gazans themselves.
They have teamed up with their Palestinian supplier in Jericho to transport these dates to Ramallah and then from there to Gaza.
Deliciously Dates
Based in Dundee, Scotland, Deliciously Dates prides itself on its ethically sourced Medjoul dates grown and harvested by Palestinian farmers in Jericho.
They use their social media platforms to raise awareness about the challenges Palestinian farmers face daily, such as the separation barrier that cuts across Palestinian-owned farmland.
Available online and a select number of independent stockists in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Handmade Palestine
Handmade Palestine is based in Ramallah in the West Bank, sourcing and selling products made by female Palestinian artisans and cooperatives across Palestine. This includes gift boxes and dates for Ramadan.
Their Ramadan gift box contains Medjoul dates from Jericho. The team travelled around Palestine in person, visiting small family shops and farms to handpick the products. Every detail, from the packaging to the branding, has been created by Palestinians.
They operate online and ship to 47 countries in North America, South America, Europe, North Africa and Asia.
Sahara Crown and Qamar Dates – Palestine Gardens
If you see boxes of Sahara Crown or Qamar Dates, know that they are harvested, packaged and distributed by Palestinian food production company, Palestine Gardens, based in Jericho, and part of Sinokrot Holding, a family-owned Palestinian holding company based in Ramallah in the West Bank. Sinokrot Holding has created thousands of jobs for Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.
The Date Project
The Date Project’s Medjoul dates are ethically sourced from Jordan, but they offer a “Dates for Palestine” option in which 100% of profits from the purchase of each tin goes towards providing clean drinking water for people in Gaza.
Before October 2023, The Date Project funded three desalination plants in Gaza. The Date Project was established in 2015; at the time they were looking to raise donations for Al Huda Bakery in Syria by selling tins of dates during Ramadan; today, they sell a range of date tins for various humanitarian causes.
They are also stocked in 44 independent supermarkets across the UK which you can find on their online store locator.
Why it's important to support Palestinian-owned brands this Ramadan
Companies like Zaytoun and Al ‘Ard go a step further than selling ethically sourced dates; they also set up initiatives that connect customers with Palestinian date producers.
For example, Al ‘Ard established the Palestine Fertile Land Alliance, which brings together Palestinian farmers, businesses and customers.
“This Ramadan, we invite everyone to join our movement; buy Palestinian Medjoul dates from verified sources, sign up for our newsletter, follow us on social media, and participate in the various events we host with producers from Palestine,” encourages Zaytoun.
“Through these engagements, we aim to connect consumers and the ethical producers they support. Ethical businesses like ours exist because consumers increasingly seek to contribute to a more just, sustainable, and compassionate global community.”
By making conscious choices when purchasing Palestinian dates, activists say that consumers not only ensure that Palestinian farmers and Palestinian-owned suppliers are paid fairly, but it also means consumers avoid funding farms located on illegal settlements and Israeli-seized Palestinian farmland, which often employ child labour.
Yousra Samir Imran is a British Egyptian writer and author who is based in Yorkshire. She is the author of Hijab and Red Lipstick, published by Hashtag Press
Follow her on Twitter: @UNDERYOURABAYA