From Desert to Factory Floor: Royal Palm Dates Group Circular Vision for the Date
Royal Palm Dates Group is redefining the future of sustainable food through the power of the humble date. In an exclusive interview, Chief Sales Officer Taha Alwaisi explained how the company is turning every part of the fruit into value-added products, while driving efficiency in energy, water, and materials.
With six state-of-the-art facilities across the Middle East and North Africa, Royal Palm Dates Group strategically locates its factories close to plantations—cutting transport emissions and preserving freshness. Rooftop solar panels will supply a growing share of power, while closed-loop systems recycle process water to reduce pressure on municipal sources.
“By building our plants near plantations, we cut transport kilometers and protect freshness. Solar power and closed-loop water systems then help us minimize waste and reduce our footprint,” said Alwaisi.
Turning Every Part of the Date into Innovation
Royal Palm Dates Groups core portfolio maps seamlessly onto the fruit itself:
- Date paste — a clean-label sweetener, binder, and humectant for snack bars, biscuits, and pastries.
- Dark Date syrup adds natural flavor and color to bakery, beverages, and sauces.
Multi-Stream Biorefinery Pipeline
Beyond its core products, Royal Palm Dates Group has launched a multi-stream biorefinery project pipeline that transforms date seeds, skins and pulp into high-value ingredients and advanced biomaterials. This initiative directly supports the company’s zero-waste agenda, highlighting how a traditional crop can underpin modern sustainability and industrial innovation.
Products emerging from the pipeline include:
- Date syrup (golden) — good replacement for golden syrup and honey to bakery, beverages, and sauces.
- Clear date sweetener — sugar-like functionality without taste or color, ideal for light drinks, gummies, and dairy.
- Date fiber — derived from skins and pulp, enhancing texture, water-binding and fiber content in breads, plant-based and meat products.
- Date seed oil — rich in Vitamin E and oleic acid, with applications in nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and specialty foods.
- Spray-dried date powder — a natural sweetener for dry beverage mixes and instant formulations.
- Date seed powder — roasted pits milled into a high-fiber flour with a cocoa-coffee profile, ideal for bakery and caffeine-free blends.
Closing the Loop Beyond Food
Royal Palm Dates Group extends circularity beyond the fruit itself. Damaged harvest crates are recycled into pellets for molding, preventing landfill waste. On the farm, drip irrigation and fertigation—guided by soil pH and salinity monitoring—deliver water and nutrients directly to the root zone. Integrated Pest Management and on-farm bio-composting further enhance soil health, while the desert location ensures a deforestation-neutral footprint.
Meeting the New Demand for Traceability
With demand spanning bakery, beverage, dairy, nutraceuticals, and personal care, Royal Palm Dates Group sees ESG metrics as a new driver of customer decisions.
“Retailers today expect traceable inputs and measurable sustainability metrics. When suppliers can show clear data on water reuse or upcycling rates, that is what turns a reformulation from trial into a full listing,” Alwaisi emphasized.
For more information, contact Royal Palm Dates Group at info@royalgroupae.com or visit royalpalm-dates.com.
