about us
Dattelmond started with Maan introducing me, Zoé, to these incredibly delicious dates that he had brought back from Saudi Arabia, where he was living at the time. This was years ago now, but each time he went back to Saudi Arabia, he brought back the same style of dates, and we loved them... and so did everyone around us. We consumed them faster than Maan could bring them back each time he visited me, leading us to joke about starting our own date company.
So, fast forward to now... we started dattelmond and are selling the dates that we, and everyone around us who's tried them, love. Our goal is to bring these natural, sun-ripened dates closer to the people in Switzerland. We want to bring the authentic taste and quality of this traditional delicacy into the homes and hearts of our customers.
In September 2024, Maan personally visited the farm where our dates come from to ensure that our farmers operate under our high-quality standards. To put it simply, the farm was nothing short of impressive. Beautifully located and operated with precision, care and love, we truly believe that the energy that travels from farmer to farm affects the quality of the harvested goods.
Although we are still just a start-up and don't have such a large inventory, it is really important to us that we sell products that we ourselves consume and enjoy. That is why, we'll always try each product before we launch it in our online shop.
A Funny Little Backstory
The Early Days
March/April 2021
In March 2021, Maan, one of our co-founders, was freshly 18, living in Saudi Arabia, broke, and looking for ways to start something of his own. Inspired by a roadside watermelon shop, Maan had the idea for a roadside date shop. With no experience, but heaps of determination, Maan purchased 500 kilograms of dates from his uncle who owns a date farm in Al Jouf, Saudi Arabia. A week later, a truckload of unpackaged dates in big barrels arrived at his doorstep, kickstarting an ambitious journey. He spent the following weeks hand packing the dates at home with help from his mom, turning their living room into a makeshift pack-station. The set-up was a bit amateur, but it was a set-up nonetheless.
The On-Wheels Date Shop
April/May 2021
Using his mom’s car as a storefront, Maan set up shop on the side of the road of a busy highway in Riyadh, selling dates to passersby. Somedays were quiet, while others had lines of cars piled up, curious to take a look. After selling out of dates in May of 2021, Maan used the money earned to visit his long-distance partner, Zoé, our other co-founder.
Dattelmond Begins
2024 - Now
After an unintended 3-year hiatus, we decided to pick up where things left off and restart the date adventure, this time as a two-headed team. We want to share quality products with those around us and allow people the opportunity to try dates in a way that they haven't tried them before. Every day is a new obstacle for us, navigating new formalities and processes, but we're excited to take this big step together. Dattelmond is still in its early days, but we're looking forward to seeing where it takes us and where we take it.
