Mazafati Dates
Soft, dark and moist — the fresh-eating date of Bam, with toffee-and-cocoa sweetness.
HS 0804.10Details & enquiry
Dates & Dried Fruit · product guide
Iranian Dates & Dried Fruit
Iran’s deserts, mountains and vineyards each give something different: soft dates from the oases of Bam, rain-fed figs from Fars, golden raisins from Malayer and ruby barberries from Khorasan. Sun-dried, never sweetened.
In short
Iran is one of the world’s largest producers of dates and raisins, with distinct regional specialities: soft Mazafati dates from Bam, semi-dry Piarom dates from Hormozgan, golden raisins from Malayer, rain-fed dried figs from Estahban, sun-dried white mulberries, and seedless barberries (zereshk) from South Khorasan.
- Persian name
- Khoshkbar (dried fruit and nuts)
- Signature dates
- Mazafati (soft), Piarom (semi-dry)
- Signature fruit
- Estahban figs, Malayer raisins, zereshk
- Added sugar
- None — naturally sweet
- Harvest
- August – October
Products
Explore dates & dried fruit
These are product types in our developing range. Ask us about current availability, origin, grade and packing before ordering.
Piarom Dates
Semi-dry “chocolate dates” with a crackled skin and a deep caramel chew.
HS 0804.10Details & enquiry
Malayer Golden Raisins
Plump, honey-coloured seedless raisins from the vineyards of Malayer.
HS 0806.20Details & enquiry
Estahban Dried Figs
Sun-dried white figs from the famous rain-fed orchards of Estahban.
HS 0804.20Details & enquiry
Dried White Mulberries
Chewy, honey-sweet sun-dried mulberries — the soul of sweet ajil.
HS 0813.40Details & enquiry
Barberries (Zereshk)
Ruby-red seedless barberries from South Khorasan — the jewel of Persian rice.
HS 0813.40Details & enquiry
| Product | Grades | Packaging | MOQ | Supply | HS code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mazafati Dates | Grade 1 (uniform) · Grade 2 | Discuss available packing | Confirm on enquiry | Seasonal | 0804.10 |
| Piarom Dates | Premium · Grade 1 | Discuss available packing | Confirm on enquiry | Seasonal | 0804.10 |
| Malayer Golden Raisins | Grade A · Grade B | Discuss available packing | Confirm on enquiry | Seasonal | 0806.20 |
| Estahban Dried Figs | Jumbo · Large · Medium | Discuss available packing | Confirm on enquiry | Seasonal | 0804.20 |
| Dried White Mulberries | Grade A · Grade B | Discuss available packing | Confirm on enquiry | Seasonal | 0813.40 |
| Barberries (Zereshk) | Premium · Standard | Discuss available packing | Confirm on enquiry | Seasonal | 0813.40 |
Buyer’s guide
Iranian dates, compared
Iran grows hundreds of date varieties. These are the ones you are most likely to meet — and how to tell them apart.
| Variety | Origin | Texture | Flavour | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mazafati | Bam, Kerman | Soft, moist | Toffee, cocoa | Refrigerate |
| Piarom | Hajiabad, Hormozgan | Semi-dry, chewy | Caramel, chocolate | Room temperature |
| Zahedi | Fars & Bushehr | Dry, firm | Nutty, mildly sweet | Room temperature |
| Kabkab | Bushehr | Soft, sticky | Honey, syrupy | Refrigerate |
Tea, the Persian way
Many Iranians drink black tea without sugar, taking a date, a dried mulberry or a few raisins with each sip instead. Try it — it changes how tea tastes.
Toot-o gerdoo
Dried white mulberries and walnut halves, eaten together. A centuries-old snack and still one of the best.
Jewelled rice
Barberries, raisins and slivered pistachios crown morasa polo, the “jewelled rice” of Persian weddings. Fry barberries briefly in butter with a pinch of sugar.
Storage
Soft dates and barberries belong in the fridge. Piarom, figs, raisins and mulberries keep in a cool cupboard — or chilled for longer.
Origin
Origins of our dates & dried fruit
Larestan
Larestan in Fars is the heart of our work. We own date palm groves here and also source produce from growers. Dates are our starting point as we gradually develop our range of other nuts and dried fruit.
- Our base
- Larestan, Fars
- Our crop
- Dates
- How we source
- Our groves & other growers
Bam
Beneath the ancient citadel of Arg-e Bam, palm groves irrigated by centuries-old qanats produce Mazafati — a soft, moist, almost chocolate-dark date that Iranians eat fresh rather than dried.
- Signature
- Mazafati dates
- Harvest
- Aug – Oct
- Irrigation
- Qanat-fed groves
Hajiabad
Piarom palms grow on the hillsides around Hajiabad, between the mountains and the Persian Gulf. The semi-dry fruit has a thin, crackled skin and a toffee-like centre, and keeps far longer than soft dates.
- Signature
- Piarom dates
- Texture
- Semi-dry, chewy
- Harvest
- Sept – Oct
Estahban
The hills around Estahban hold some of the largest rain-fed fig orchards in the world. Without irrigation the trees produce small, intensely sweet fruit that is sun-dried on the ground and pressed flat.
- Signature
- Dried white figs
- Farming
- Rain-fed (dryland)
- Harvest
- Aug – Sept
Malayer
Malayer is one of Iran’s great grape towns. Its seedless grapes are sun-dried or briefly dipped and shade-dried to make the plump golden and green raisins that fill every bowl of ajil-e shirin.
- Signature
- Golden raisins
- Harvest
- Aug – Sept
- Method
- Sun & shade drying
Qaen & Torbat-e Heydarieh
Eastern Iran’s Khorasan region grows the overwhelming majority of the world’s saffron. Each autumn the crocus fields around Qaen, Torbat-e Heydarieh and Gonabad bloom for just a few weeks, and the red stigmas are picked by hand at dawn. Nearby Birjand and Qaen also grow seedless barberries (zereshk).
- Signature
- Negin & Sargol saffron
- Bloom
- Late Oct – Nov
- Also grows
- Barberries (zereshk)
Nutrition
What’s in 100 g of dates
Energy280kcal / 100 g
- Protein
- 2 g
- Fat
- 0.3 g
- Carbohydrate
- 75 g
- of which sugars
- 64 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Notable: Naturally sweet with no added sugar; a good source of potassium and fibre. Typical values for dates per 100 g (USDA FoodData Central). Actual values vary by crop and roast.
FAQ
Dates & Dried Fruit: common questions
Do Mazafati dates need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Mazafati is a soft, high-moisture date, closer to fresh fruit than to a dried date. Keep it in the fridge, where it stays at its best for several months.
What is the white coating on dried figs?
Natural fruit sugar crystallising on the surface. It is a sign of a well-dried fig, not mould, and it is perfectly safe to eat.
Do your dried fruits contain added sugar?
Ingredients and treatments vary by producer. Ask about added sugar, oils and preservatives for the actual fruit you are considering.
What are barberries used for?
Barberries (zereshk) add a bright, sour note to Persian rice dishes — most famously zereshk polo ba morgh — as well as salads, stews and kuku.
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