Grower Profiles

• Nelson Brothers
• Vandervoort Date Ranches
• Winterhaven Ranches
• Royal Medjool Date Ranch
• Bard Date Company
• Southwestern Date Growers
• Imperial Date Gardens
• Sun Garden Growers

Nelson Brothers

In the winter of 1975 three brothers, Dave, Jerry and Dennis Nelson, bought a small date grove from an elderly man by the name of Dick Roberts. They were young, but ambitious, and scraped together a down payment by using Dave's car as collateral for a loan. As a teenager Dave had worked for Harley and Evelyn Berryman, who grew and packed dates in the Bard Valley, and in doing so he developed a love for the crop, and a passion for the pure and wholesome nature of growing and selling fresh fruit.

After college, Dave worked in the citrus packing-house industry selling fruit, but on weekends, he and his brothers continued their labor of love in their dates. Over the years they have embraced sustainable farming practices that preserve their soil, and much of their product is organic. They value their land, their trees, and the people who help them on the farm. Understanding the power of teamwork, Nelson Bros. was in on the ground floor of the formation of BVMDGA and stays very active in helping to grow and improve the industry.

Time has passed and the Nelson Brothers have succeeded in growing their date business and have realized their dream in many ways, but Dave still works hard to keep the feel that got him into this business in the first place; the purity of a small family farming business; the charm and mystique of the Medjool date; and the camaraderie of fellow growers working together toward a common cause.

Vandervoort Date Ranches

Glen Vandervoort is a man who knows what he wants. As he stands looking out across his baby tree nursery and on toward a verdant date garden, he is in his element. Baby date trees grow up in between their older relatives, giving a sense that the future of this land is not in question. This was not always the case. In the spring of 1985 a younger Glen struggled with his vision for his own future. In his third year at the University of Arizona he lacked a clear idea of what he would do with a college degree. His dad had recently become an investor in a date operation and Glen found himself working there. Sales were tough since Medjools were not a mainstream fruit, but something about this crop was charming, and drew him back like a magnet. He moved into the old farmhouse on the property and fell head over heels in love with the charm and purity of growing Medjool dates. Working with the other partners, Glen increased sales and found ways to develop new markets. Some days he drove hundreds of miles to deliver product, or work shows, while other days he irrigated the trees, or made dozens of phone calls looking for his next customer. Before long, Glen and his dad owned the operations and Vandervoort Date Ranches was formed. As a founder of BVMDGA, Glen was convinced of the merits of having strict quality standards, and those values paid off. By 1991 Glen had also become the general manager for Western Date Ranches and sales were up in large part due to the benefits of the association and the decision that all growers would pack into the "red box". Glen and his dad, Dave, judiciously reinvested their profits back into the operations and soon had eliminated their debt and were able to build a modern facility. Glen's creativity can be seen throughout the operations. Early on in the business they were the first to palletize product for greater efficiency, and further innovations included adding tongs and a sneeze guard to the red box. In 2004 the Vandervoorts became investors in Datepac where Glen is now General Manager. Currently Vandervoort Date Ranches has 240 acres of trees, with 80 in production. Another 160 acres is slated to be planted which will bring the total to 400 acres of date gardens in all. It has been a journey fueled by passion, commitment and a lot of hard work, but Glen obviously doesn't regret a minute of it.

Winterhaven Ranches

Winterhaven Ranch, along with its sister company, Oasis Date Gardens, annually produce about two million pounds of high quality organic Medjool dates, as well as a host of other varieties, shipping Medjool dates to not only the U.S. and Canada but to many countries in Europe and the Far East.

But every big story has a small beginning ...

In 1983 Jim Freimuth and Chris Nielsen founded Winterhaven Ranch with their purchase of 10 acres of Medjool dates in the Bard Valley. At that time, both Jim and Chris had "day jobs", Chris being an accountant, and Jim an engineer with business finance training as well. As it happened, Chris was running his family's business, Nielsen Citrus Products Co. which packages premium lemon and lime juice for the food service industry (www.nielsencitrus.com) and they had recently acquired some lemon groves that included forty acres of troublesome Medjool dates. Fascinated by this little known and exciting crop, Chris and Jim decided to take on the date "problems". It didn't take them long to determine that there was a unique opportunity to become involved with this distinctive product.

Initially the market for Medjool dates was small and saturated with existing supplies, but with the formation of the Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association (BVMDGA) in 1986, an immense untapped market for Medjool dates was discovered. In response to the resulting market expansion, Winterhaven Ranch purchased 40 additional acres, increasing their annual production from 30,000 lbs to about 250,000 lbs. Having embraced organic growing concepts early on, Winterhaven Ranch also became certified organic under California's Organic Code in 1989.

In 1997 Oasis Date Gardens was added to the fold and with this step Jim decided it was time to quit his engineering position and since then has dedicated himself full time to running Oasis Date Gardens and Winterhaven Ranch. Chris contributes a substantial part time effort in both Winterhaven Ranch and Oasis Date Gardens operations, while continuing to run Nielsen Citrus Products as well.

Winterhaven Ranch and Oasis Date Gardens hold U.S. National Organic Program organic certification as well as organic certification in Canada and Europe. Jim and Chris' commitment to quality extends to all aspects of their operation, including their dedication to excellence in customer service and assuring that date lovers have a consistent supply of Medjool dates throughout the year.

Royal Medjool Date Ranch

Royal Medjool Date Ranch was purchased in 1968 from Ennis Rice, a pioneer in the Medjool date industry. The ranch is the oldest of the large date growing operations in the Bard Valley, and has the distinction of being the site where the first ever vertical lifts and sorting tables were built. This innovation set a standard for the industry. Royal Medjool Date Ranch, which produces high quality organic and conventionally farmed fruit, was one of the founders of BVMDGA, helping to form the association in 1986.

Bard Date Company

Bard Date Company is owned by the Jessen family. The Jessen's have deep roots in agriculture around the globe, primarily in their crop protection business Gowan Company, Gowan Comercio Internacional e Servicos, Limitada and Gowan De Mexico. In July of 2000 they added the purchase of Dulin Date Gardens to Bard Date Company and in doing so brought with them their love of agriculture and personal drive and innovation. Using this experience they have added to their existing U.S. production by taking advantage of the "Bard Valley" micro climate that extends some 40 miles south of the US/Mexico border along the beautiful Colorado River. Here, along with Jesus Bustamante, they farm over 200 acres of Medjool date trees. The synergy of the operations has created an exciting dynamic for Bard Date Company that puts them in a unique position to expand the production capability of the BVMDGA team.

Southwestern Date Growers

Southwestern Date Growers was purchased from the Vandervoort family in 2004, and is now managed by Steve and Scott Shadle. This operation has a large number of very old trees, but also encompasses a nursery shoot farm to accelerate production. Combining organic farming into their operation has given Southwestern Date Growers more diversity in their product offerings and adds to their commitment to advancing the Medjool industry.

Imperial Date Gardens

One has only to look at the story behind Imperial Date Gardens to believe that the American dream is alive and well in Bard, California. A hard working immigrant, fueled by the passion and wonder of Medjool dates, becomes a land owner and prominent local businessman, providing a lifetime of employment for himself, his children and his grandchildren as well as many fortunate employees. In a compelling, real life rags to riches tale Isabel Nunez came to America and began working for Clyde Bowman in 1958, also a Bard Valley pioneer. By 1972 he had bought his first date garden and shortly thereafter acquired Imperial Date Gardens, Inc. (IDG). IDG is truly a family operation in every way with three generations actively involved: Isabel, his children, Gus, Ramon and Mari, and his grandson, Brandon. Responsibilities are divided among them. The younger brother, Ramon, is in charge of production. Ramon lives and breathes every aspect of growing Medjools from the appearance of the first flower of the season to the harvest of each succulent fruit. His older brother Gus, takes the reins at harvest, overseeing the immaculate, efficient packing operations and managing marketing, sales and public relations. Mari, keeps the wheels greased and, as Controller, makes sure the money is where it needs to be at the right time as well as handling the administrative responsibilities of the business. Mari's son and Isabel's grandson, Brandon, is their director of safety and compliance. This leaves Isabel free to focus on overseeing their ambitious new project of expanding plantings and production on new acreage on the South Yuma Mesa. Imperial Date Gardens is steadily adding plantings which ultimately will increase their operations by an impressive 225,000 trees on 3,600 acres using state of the art technologies. The operation is rounded out by including a retail shop and an increasingly popular mail order program.

Imperial Date Gardens has matured into a leader in the Medjool date industry and the pride and joy of the Nunez Family.

Sun Garden Growers

Sun Garden Growers was purchased from the McCollum family in 2003. Located in Bard, California this date ranch is home to the very first Medjool date trees to come to the Valley. In 1944, 24 offshoots were taken from the original Medjools that were brought from Morocco and planted at this location in Bard. Six of those elderly trees remain on the Sun Garden property, towering over the younger plantings near them. Sun Gardens is managed 100% Organic by Steve and Scott Shadle, and produces several different date varieties besides Medjools. In addition to their production operations, Sun Gardens also has a retail store for local sales of their varied and delicious products.