Hadley Fruit Orchards is in business to provide premium quality dates, dried fruit, nuts, and gifts. Our first responsibility is to our customers who purchase and use our products. We guarantee fresh products and excellent customer service.
The Hadley Fruit Orchards Story
Hadley Fruit Orchards was founded by Paul and Peggy Hadley in 1931 in Banning, California. Their neighbors were the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. According to the members of the Morongo Tribe, Paul Hadley often provided tribal members with fruit and dates, fostering a rapport with Hadley Fruit Orchards that remains to this day.
The Hadley Fruit Orchards fruit and nut business prospered until 1951 when a fire burned down their warehouse, wiping out $70,000 in inventory and 20 years of hard work. Underinsured but determined to recover, the couple began selling their products from a roadside stand. To attract customers to the remote location, Paul bought slabs of lumber, painted signs in bright colors, and set out to find neighbors and other property owners along the highway who would allow him to put up his homemade billboards.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Tiny's Wacky Tacky.
Thanks to the high quality of their merchandise, Paul and Peggy added natural fruit, butters and jams, cereals and grains, fresh baked goods, and their own selection of wine from organically grown grapes. When Paul became dissatisfied with the quality of dates he could buy, he purchased five date orchards and grew his own. Commercially made cereals didn't meet his high standards, so he bought his own puffed grain operation. When he couldn't buy enough honey from local honey houses, he built his own. By the 1970's, Paul estimated that he sold a ton of honey every day.
Seeing a need for a nutritious snack food to sustain hikers in the neighboring San Jacinto Mountains, Hadley Fruit Orchards originated the now widely imitated "trail mix". It contained a delightful blend of fruit, nuts, and seeds high in fiber, protein and natural sugar. Because of the trail mix's extreme popularity, at least a dozen additional snack mixes were developed.
An instinctive master merchandiser, Paul Hadley understood that handmade signs, generous free samples, rustic displays, and helpful employees provided the best environment in which to sell wholesome food. Enormous volume allowed Hadley Fruit Orchards to sell top quality products at moderate prices. The rustic stand eventually became the largest store of its type in the country and developed into a successful retail and catalog business.
Photo courtesy of Mr. Tiny's Wacky Tacky.
Today, Hadley Fruit Orchards continues its commitment to excellence under new ownership. In July of 1999, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians bought the Handley stores and mail order business. The purchase not only kept the stores locally owned, but expanded upon a relationship that had spanned more than six decades.
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians believes strongly in Hadley Fruit Orchards' mission to provide top-quality dates, dried fruits, nuts, and gifts, and to provide premium service to the customers who purchase and use their products. Over the next few years, the Morongo tribe plans to update and expand Hadley Fruit Orchards, while preserving the small-town feel of the original flagship store and customer service which made Hadley Fruit Orchards famous.
Date Varieties from Hadley Fruit Orchards
Medjools are the "king" of dates and Hadley Fruit Orchards sells only those with the most royal lineage. Originally from Morocco, the Medjool was once reserved exclusively for royalty and their guests for centuries. In the 1920's, a blight threatened to make the Medjool extinct. To preserve the glorious fruit, the Moroccan royal family sent eleven palms to Southern California where the growing conditions were similar to their natural habitat.
Our largest selling crop is from Southern California southeast of Palm Springs. Of the several plantations started, Southern California proved to be the most nurturing. The nutrient-rich soil, from centuries of Colorado River flooding, infuses the Medjool with unmatched richness. The orchard proximity to freshwater ensures an abundant supply to the roots, resulting in fruit more than twice as large as other varieties. Good farming practices eliminate the need for pesticides.
Large, perfect and beautiful, our Medjools have rich mahogany color and a soft texture. It is a true connoisseur's date for gift and personal enjoyment.
Other Date Varieties
Abbada or Black Date
This date is black in color, sweet and has a creamy texture.
Bahrhi
A soft, round and dark amber date. The flesh is thick, smooth, soft and translucent, and the flavor is rich. Barhi's are also called Honeyball dates.
Deglet Noor
A medium-firm date with a rich caramel color, not as sweet as the soft dates. Deglet Noors store very well and are good for cooking and for eating.
Khadrawi
A dark mahogany date, with flesh that looks dry, but is actually very soft. The texture has been described as "like pudding".
Halaway or Golden Princess
An elongated date, amber in color, chewy, with a very mild flavor.
Thoory or Bread Date
The driest date variety, with a firm, not sticky, skin. It's the staple diet of nomadic desert tribes and packs very well for outings.
Zahidi
This date is a golden color and has medium-firm skin and texture. It's an excellent all-purpose date, used for cooking or eating.
Honey
This date has the taste, color and creamy texture of rich honey. Honey dates are excellent for a quick burst of natural sugar energy and are a wonderful dessert date.
Dates, like all crops, are subject to the whims of mother nature and therefore, some of our dates may not be available.
Other Delicious Hadley Fruit Orchards Products and Services
- Date Shakes
- Honey
- Free Recipes
- Wine Tasting
- Gift Baskets & Trays
- World-Wide Shipping
- Freshly-Ground Peanut Butter
- California-grown Pistachios and an incredible assortment of other nuts
- California-grown Apricots and a vast selection of other dried fruits
- Large Variety of Hand-Mixed Trail Mixes
