2026: The Year of the Date

2026: The Year of the Date

I ’m calling it: 2026 is the year of the date. I’ve been watching this trend closely for the past few years, and it seems date-focused and date-sweetened brands are popping up left and right. Would it surprise you to learn that a good portion of the brands I interviewed for the Founder Feature series in 2025 and early 2026 were date-sweetened or date-focused? (Look for !) If you’ve tuned into any of my episodes or followed me on social media, you’d know: I am a date freak, and this list should come as no surprise.

With many consumers looking to cut down their consumption of added sugar or eliminate it altogether, dates are a perfect replacement for that ever-growing sweet tooth that refuses to be silenced. Dates offer sweetness (of course), but they also offer fiber – a nutrient that’s gaining a lot of traction as of late – perhaps the next big thing like we saw with protein. I’m no physician or nutritionist, but having a source of sweetness that is paired with fiber is a great way to stabilize blood sugar and not succumb to a spike and eventual crash.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, consider getting your sweetie something sweet – without the BS. Or, if you’re a retailer, now is the perfect time to build out your date-focused product sets that will never get outdated (sorry, I had to). And if you need more options for the future, you know who to call – because I will surely have my finger on the date pulse.

Enjoy this list of brands who are just as obsessed with dates as I am – we’ve got sips, snacks, spreads, supplements, and more!

PS – Are you a brand incorporating dates into your products but don’t see your brand on this list? Get on my radar – join our Slack channel and send me a DM!

– Caitlin (your date-obsessed CPG BFF)

BRANDS WHO LOVE DATES

Amza Superfoods

Date-based savory superfood spreads.

Ancient Sun

Date-based RTD shakes.

AyurSome Wellness

Date-sweetend thin cookies – perfect for tea!

B.T.R. Nation

Date-sweetened, stuffed nut butter hearts.

Bake Me Healthy

Date-sweetened chocolate chip cookies.

Best Date Ever

Date-sweetened chocolate hazelnut spread.

BOD Bar

Date-sweetened performance bars.

Brause

Date-sweetened German sodas.

Bread SRSLY

Gluten-free, date-sweetened bread.

CW Dressings

Date-sweetened salad dressings and sauces.

D’Vash

Date-sweetened bars and syrups.

Daramel

Date-based caramel.

Darious Snack Co

Vegan date swirls.

Date Better

Stuffed and flavored chocolate dates.

Date Smarter

Date-sweetened chocolate caramels.

Datefix

Pureed dates in a convenient pouch – perfect alternative to traditional energy gels.

Dateworthy

Frozen date treats.

Day Out Snacks

Date-based protein balls.

Desert Dust

Date-sweetened spices and spice blends.

EveryDate

Chocolate-covered date desserts.

Figa Foods

Date-sweetened cupuaçu-based bars (chocolate’s cousin)!

Fresh Fizz

Date-sweetened sodas – including date cola.

Gato Dates

Luxurious, chocolate-covered dates stuffed with nut butter and topped with sea salt.

Goodburn Sauce Co.

Date-sweetened, biodynamically grown hot sauces that support regenerative farms and local farmers in Texas.

Good Dirt

Date-sweetened prebiotic beverages.

Granolaful

Date-sweetened yet savory granola.

Harken Sweets

Date-sweetened, fiber-filled candy bars that are the perfect replacement for your childhood favorites.

Hellava Foods

Date-sweetened, sesame-based chocolate spreads (and more!).

HOL Health Club

Date-sweetened, bone broth fortified protein bars.

Hot Date Kitchen

Spicy, chocolate-covered, stuffed dates.

Good Girl Snacks

Date-sweetened pickles – think classic bread and butter with a twist.

Joolies

Straight up dates and chocolate-covered dates.

Jools

Date balls rolled in a variety of toppings.

Just Date

The OG of date products: date syrups and chocolate chips.

Kailo

Date-sweetened protein bars.

Kindly Caramel

Date-based caramel spread.

Let Me Snack

Date-sweetened, cacao dusted popped water lily seeds.

Magicdates

Chocolate-covered plant-based date bites.

Mild Addictions

Date-sweetened candy bars.

Mojave Mallows

Marshmallows with some date-based magic.

Patterbar

Date-based whole food energy bars.

Plonty

Date-sweetened plant-based protein powder.

PurelyB

Date-sweetened, Malaysian crafted superfood supplements.

Purposefuel

Date-based energy bites.

RJ Naturals

Date-based bars crafted with ingredients like grass fed butter.

Rootsy

Cassava root waffles sweetened with dates.

SATTVA VIDA

Date-based energy bites rolled in a variety of toppings.

Smood Sweets

Date candies dressed up to mimic candy flavors.

Spring and Mulberry

Date-based, fruit and nut chocolate bars.

Sukari Sweets

Date-based small batch chocolates.

Sunabloom

Date-sweetened sunflower-based yogurt.

Tamar Date Coffee

Coffee blended with upcycled date seeds for conscious coffee drinkers.

The Conscious Bar

Chocolate as medicine: clean, date-sweetened cacao bars flavored by nature.

Unicorn Bites

Soft-baked, date-sweetened, bite-sized cookies.

Urthy Eats

Artisanal date spreads and gourmet stuffed dates.

Vesucre

Date-sweetened, plant-based ice cream in perfect portions.

Wild West Chocolate

Date-sweetened chocolate bars rewilding shelves and giving back to nature.

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