What Are Empress Dates?

Empress dates are a true Coachella Valley original — a variety selected by one of the valley’s pioneering date-farming families in Indio and still grown almost nowhere else on earth. If you’ve met one, it was probably at a Southern California farmers market, and you probably remember it.

Taste and texture

Empress is a large, handsome date with a two-tone look — lighter at the shoulder, deeper brown below — and a texture that splits the difference: soft and tender up top, satisfyingly chewy at the base. The flavor is sweet and clean, less heavy than Medjool, with fans who insist it’s the best-balanced date in the valley.

We grow these. Golden Zahidi Dates — Nutty, Less Sweet, Never Sticky | California Farm-Direct from our family farm in Sky Valley, California — from $15/lb, shipping included. See them →

A valley heirloom

Unlike the famous Iraqi and Moroccan varieties, Empress was born right here — a reminder that the Coachella Valley isn’t just where America grows dates, it’s where America has been breeding them for a century. Only a couple of small family farms still grow it, which makes every pound something of a collector’s item.

The honest note: we don’t grow Empress

Our Sky Valley grove grows jumbo Medjool, golden Zahidi, and seasonal Barhi. If Empress’s large fruit and balanced sweetness is what appeals, jumbo Medjool gives you the size and tenderness while golden Zahidi gives you the lighter, cleaner sweetness — between the two, most Empress admirers find their match. Many of our trade buyers split a case of each.

From our grove instead

Farm-direct with shipping included to the lower 48, posted prices, no games: jumbo Medjool and golden Zahidi. One harvest a year — this season’s fruit is selling now.

Desert Sun Dates is a family farm in Sky Valley, California. Curious about other varieties? See our guide to the different types of dates.