Today we’d like to introduce you to Joan Smith.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Joan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I founded Rancho Meladuco Date Farm in the Fall of 2015. I’m a resident of Orange County California, mother of 3, CPA by trade and most recent, date farmer. I grew up in Bakersfield, California and spent my youth exploring 640 acres of rolling foothills and helping my family care for our cattle ranch. My childhood instilled in me a passion for the outdoors, working the land and a deep admiration for the people who raise food doing it.
Growing and cooking good food is a great joy of mine. I bought my first farmhouse in my late twenties and transformed the neglected acreage into a beautiful and productive garden. I met my husband on a blind date and moved to Newport Beach. Shortly thereafter, we acquired a ranch just outside Mecca, at the north end of the Salton Sea and close to Coachella, in the best date-growing region in the US. Long ago, someone planted several date palms on the property.
Throughout the years, a freelance “Palmero” came several times per year to the ranch to maintain the trees, pollinate the bunches and harvest dates as they ripened. We were blown away by the large, sweet Medjool dates our trees produced and when we started sharing them with friends and family, we got so many rave reviews that we quickly got to the point of keeping a wait list for the next season’s dates. This tremendous enjoyment and feedback was the inspiration to start a date farm, so we began planting more date palms several years ago and in 2015, we officially started Rancho Meladuco Date Farm. Today, we have more than 100 trees and are planting more. In 2017, we began networking with a handful of other growers who also farm delicious dates to acquire their delicious fruit in addition to our own. We began selling dates this past September thru our website and Date Shop located in Newport Beach and have steadily added market partners. Our goal is simple: To grow and procure the best tasting dates possible and cultivate a broader audience in the US for the delicious and nutritious date.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The past two years has been a journey of small miracles. Things have fallen into place at just the right time which has affirmed my feeling that we are on track to build something amazing. But it has not been without its struggles, lessons and mistakes. I now joke about making “rookie mistake no. 818” when I mess up, which is how I keep levity around the inevitable mistakes and mishaps. However these have been invaluable – they provide critical experience, knowledge and lessons and I improve with every one of them. I’m grateful for these opportunities to learn and be better.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Rancho Meladuco Date Farm story. Tell us more about the business.
My goal is to make dates a new national obsession. We strive to grow and curate the very best tasting, tender and delicious dates and we want to cultivate a broader audience for dates in the US. Only roughly 3% of the population eats dates. We want to change this. The ideal Rancho Meladuco Date is bursting with caramel and brown sugar notes, juicy and tender. We hand pack our dates in our signature natural cardboard box which is covered with hand-drawn and vintage-inspired artwork reflecting things we love such as our dogs, old Ford tractor, our mountain views and of course, the date palm trees themselves. We include recipes and fun and whimsical elements in our packaging and shipments and offer to wrap our boxes in beautiful ribbon for gifts. We love our dates and believe anyone who tries them will, too. Our customers tell us consistently our dates are the best they’ve ever tasted. I think the love and pride that goes into our whole product is felt by our customers. We were recently approved as member candidates of the Specialty Food Association, a distinction we are very proud to earn. The admission process required us to not only submit samples of our dates but also to tell our whole story and describe why we felt we were unique and distinguished within our product category.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Oh boy, well for starters I don’t believe in “luck” per se, especially not bad luck. Rather I’d say, I believe in the magic and miracle of living in the flow of life where actions, desires, intentions and purpose are in alignment. At 49 as I look back on my life, I’m kind of in awe how all my experiences have woven together and led me to this point in life. I prefer to view the things that come together as signs of validation and roadblocks and obstacles as signs of review and reevaluation, to simplify it in one sentence. The part of this venture that I’ve enjoyed the most and where I’ve grown the most this past 2 years, is in challenging my own notions of my abilities, prerequisites such as skills or knowledge and managing my fears and thoughts. I chose to adopt an attitude of “why not?” and then, “why not me?” My education and training are in business and accounting, not farming. If I had only ventured to pursue what I already knew how to do, I’d never have started date farming. It was a giant leap into the unknown. Instead, I’ve charged forward with enthusiasm, an earnest desire to learn and a commitment to have faith and courage in the face of the unknown – and a ton of gratitude. There have been so many people, events and circumstances that have aligned to help me moving forward successfully and I take notice of these when they happen and am thankful for these mini miracles that have led us to where we are today.
Pricing:
- 2 lb. box Medjool Dates: $16
Contact Info:
- Address: The Date Shop | Rancho Meladuco Date Farm
2700 W. Coast Highway, Ste. 222
Newport Beach, CA 92663 - Website: www.ranchomeladuco.com
- Phone: 888-MELADUCO
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @rancho_meladuco_date_farm
- Facebook: @ranchomeladucodatefarm
Image Credit:
Kip Roof, Ellen Silverman, Mindy Fox
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