About Rancho Meladuco

Rancho Meladuco is a family-run date farm in California’s Coachella Valley, not far from Palm Springs. We started with four Medjool palms planted on our ranch decades ago. When the trees began producing, we shared the fruit with friends and family — and the reaction was loud enough that our founder Joan Smith decided to expand the operation and start farming dates in earnest.

Today, we use traditional farming methods, hand-harvest every date, and pack every box by hand. Our hand-packed California Medjool dates have been featured in The Wall Street Journal’s 50 Best Christmas Gift Ideas, Oprah’s Favorite Things, Forbes, and Food & Wine Magazine.

Visit us at the Date Shop in Costa Mesa, California — open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9:30 to 11:30 AM.

Our Team

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Joan Smith

founder & Date Farmer

Joan Smith is the founder of Rancho Meladuco. A CPA, mother of three, home cook, and backyard gardener, Joan started farming Medjool dates with one goal: share the fruit from her family farm with as many people as possible — and refuse to compromise on quality along the way.

Testimonials

Average Rating: 5.0 stars (based on 63 ratings)