Get to know us

Iris Dadels began with a friendship and a question. When Hassanen Hajem — an Dutch Iraqi who has made the Netherlands his home — visited the local market, he kept wondering why the dates here looked and tasted so different from the fresh, vibrant fruit he knew growing up. That question became a mission.

Together with Marieke Mantje and Jurjen van Wingerden, Hassanen spent months building real relationships with date farmers in Saudi Arabia — visiting in person, sharing meals, and earning trust the old-fashioned way. What came back from those visits wasn't just a supply agreement. It was a partnership rooted in mutual respect across cultures.

The result is Iris Dadels: a Dutch company bringing fresh, single-origin Saudi dates — Medjool, Sagai, and Sukkari — to the Netherlands and beyond. Varieties that are rarely found in Europe, sourced from the people who grow them best, and delivered with the care of friends rather than the distance of middlemen.

Our mission

Dates have been part of Saudi Arabian life for thousands of years — and now we're bringing that tradition to the Netherlands. At Iris Dadels, our mission is to connect Dutch and European food lovers with the finest fresh dates Saudi Arabia has to offer: a natural, healthy alternative to processed sweets, rarely seen in this quality on European shelves.

But it goes beyond food. The Netherlands and Saudi Arabia share a warm diplomatic bond — one symbolised by the longstanding friendship between the Dutch and Saudi royal families. We believe trade built on real relationships, across cultures, can open doors that have long been closed. Every date we sell is a small step toward a more connected world.

Our vision

Saudi Arabia is changing. Under its Vision 2030 initiative, the Kingdom is actively seeking meaningful partnerships with European nations — diversifying its economy and building new export routes beyond oil. Dates are one of the most sustainable crops in the world, thriving in desert conditions where little else can grow. We want to help build a serious European market for them.

At home in the Netherlands, we want to change how people think about healthy eating — proving that a product rooted in centuries of tradition, grown with care and brought here by people who know the farmers by name, can be just as indulgent as anything you'd find in a patisserie.

Two kingdoms. One very sweet connection.

Our team

Our strength lies in our individuality. Set up by Esther Bryce, the team strives to bring in the best talent in various fields, from architecture to interior design and sales.