Honey Date

1. Product Characteristics

honey dates is a dried preserved fruit product made from Dali winter jujube in Shaanxi, processed through scoring, sugar cooking, and drying. The finished product has an amber to light brown colour with a bright, translucent sheen. The surface is evenly coated with a layer of white sugar frosting, with fine and clear scoring lines. The flesh is thick and full, with a soft yet not stiff texture. It has a sweet, dense, and moist taste, retaining the distinctive light fragrance of winter jujube with no sour or astringent notes. Dali winter jujube is known for its large size, thin skin, small pit, thick flesh, high juice content, and crisp sweetness. After processing into honey dates, the flesh maintains its thick and full texture, with evenly penetrated sugar and a sweet but not cloying taste.

Specifications

3. Uses

With its sweet, dense texture and extended shelf life, honey dates is suited for ready-to-eat snacking, Chinese sweet soups, and traditional pastry applications.

Ready to eat: honey dates can be eaten directly after processing, with a sweet, dense texture. Suitable as a daily snack or as a health food snack on its own.

Chinese sweet soups and stews: honey dates is a common ingredient in snow fungus soup, red date and lotus seed soup, and eight-treasure porridge. It maintains its full shape after cooking, releasing sweetness into the soup and adding a clean, sweet layer to the dish.

Traditional pastries and festive foods: Widely used in the production of zenggao (steamed glutinous rice cake), new year cakes, zongzi (rice dumplings), and eight-treasure rice. The sweet, dense texture of honey dates complements ingredients like glutinous rice and red bean paste, and it is one of the key ingredients in zenggao, a specialty snack of the Guanzhong region in Shaanxi.

Filling processing: Can be used as a sweetening ingredient in pastry or mooncake fillings. After pitting and dicing, it adds sweetness and texture to the filling.

4. Usage Scenarios

honey dates is suitable for various consumption scenarios where traditional flavour and nourishing qualities are valued.

Traditional food processing companies: Used in the production of zenggao, zongzi, new year cakes, and eight-treasure rice – a key ingredient in Guanzhong specialty snacks.

Sweet soup and dessert shops: Used in snow fungus soup, red date and lotus seed soup, and honey dates red bean paste. The jujube maintains its shape after cooking, with sweetness infusing into the soup.

Retail and e-commerce: With its good appearance and long shelf life, honey dates is suitable for individual packaging for retail and online sales, meeting household demand for sweet soup ingredients and snacks.

Household daily consumption: As a pantry staple for sweet soups and stews, or as a daily snack.

5. Material (Origin & Raw Material)

Produced in Dali, Shaanxi. Dali is located in the easternmost part of the Guanzhong Plain, where the Yellow River, Wei River, and Luo River converge. It has a warm temperate semi-arid continental monsoon climate with the highest annual sunshine hours in the Guanzhong region, abundant light and heat resources, and large day-night temperature differences. The soil is mainly clay loam with rich organic matter. These unique natural conditions are highly suitable for fresh jujube cultivation, producing winter jujubes with large fruit size, thin skin, thick flesh, high juice content, and high sugar content.

Dali County has a long history of jujube cultivation, dating back over 2,000 years to the Western Han Dynasty, and is known as a "natural germplasm resource bank for jujubes." Currently, Dali has 420,000 mu of winter jujube planting area, with an annual output exceeding 700,000 tons, making it a nationally renowned "hometown of winter jujubes."

honey dates uses Dali winter jujube as raw material. The optimal harvest time is when the fruit turns from green to white and begins to lose its green colour. At this stage, the flesh is loose and the skin is thin yet tough, making it suitable for sugar infusion processing. Winter jujube itself has thick flesh, a small pit, and high sweetness, resulting in high-quality honey dates with a bright, translucent appearance after processing.

6. Production Process

honey dates processing involves selection and grading, scoring, washing, sugar cooking, sugar infusion, initial drying, shaping, and final drying.

Selection and grading: Winter jujubes harvested during the green-to-white stage are selected and graded by size, with deformed, insect-damaged, and damaged fruits removed.

Scoring: A scoring machine is used to make uniform cuts on the surface of the jujubes, reaching about half the thickness of the flesh to allow sugar to penetrate. The scoring should be even and fine, with the ends not cut through.

Washing: The scored jujubes are rinsed thoroughly with clean water and drained.

Sugar cooking: The jujubes are cooked with sugar syrup in a pot. The syrup concentration and cooking time must be precisely controlled. During cooking, the mixture is stirred continuously, and any foam rising to the surface is skimmed off. Cooking continues until the syrup reaches the required boiling point temperature and the jujubes become soft and yellow.

Sugar infusion: The cooked jujubes are left to steep in the syrup, allowing the sugar to penetrate evenly into the flesh.

Initial drying and shaping: After sugar infusion, the jujubes are transferred to a drying room for initial drying. Once sugar begins to crystallise on the surface, the jujubes are pressed flat while hot to improve appearance.

Final drying: After shaping, the jujubes are dried again to reach the required moisture content, with a uniform white sugar frosting forming on the surface.

7. Quality Control

Raw material sourcing: High-quality Dali winter jujubes selected; optimal green-to-white maturity stage; deformed, insect-damaged, and damaged fruits removed.

Scoring control: Even and fine scoring lines at appropriate depth to ensure uniform sugar penetration.

Sugar cooking control: Stable syrup concentration and cooking time; avoid burning or insufficient sugar penetration.

Drying control: Temperature controlled in stages to ensure uniform sugar frosting and proper moisture content.

Final inspection: Colour, sugar frosting uniformity, taste, and impurities checked.

8. Packaging & Shipping

Packaging: Standard export packaging uses cartons or composite bags with food-grade moisture-proof liners to ensure protection against moisture, pressure, and pests during transit. Custom packaging is available upon request, including small household packs, retail packs, and premium gift boxes. All packaging materials comply with food contact material safety standards.

Shipping: Sea freight, air freight, and rail transport are all available, with delivery to major domestic ports and overseas destinations. Shipments are made directly from the place of origin, with full traceability throughout the logistics chain to ensure safe and on-time delivery. Jujube products are shelf-stable, resistant to damage, and well-suited for long-distance transport.

9. Delivery & Samples

Sample Service: Free samples are available and can be sent to your designated address. You are welcome to conduct your own inspections before placing an order. Samples are randomly selected from actual stock to ensure they match the batch shipment.

Lead Time: Orders are normally dispatched within 3–5 working days after confirmation. Large orders can be scheduled by negotiation. LCL consolidation is supported to accommodate mixed orders and flexible purchasing needs.

MOQ: Flexible order quantities – both small trial orders and bulk custom orders are welcome, negotiable based on actual requirements.

10. After-Sales Service

End-to-end follow-up: A dedicated representative will track your order from placement to delivery, providing real-time updates on shipping status.

Quality guarantee: If any quality issues are confirmed upon verification, returns or replacements will be negotiated.

After-sales response: Dedicated after-sales support with response within 24 hours of feedback.

Long-term partnership: Stable quality and sufficient supply throughout the year, with consistent availability in both peak and off-peak seasons.

11. Certifications & Compliance

Qualified for export commodity inspection, with full support for customs declaration and clearance

Products sourced from Xinjiang Aksu plantation bases, with raw materials traceable to specific production areas

Certificates of Origin, quality inspection reports, health certificates, and other documents available upon request

12. Exhibitions

13. FAQ

Q1: What is the minimum order quantity?

A: Flexible order quantities are supported – specifics can be negotiated.

Q2: Do you offer custom packaging and OEM services?

A: Yes. Packaging specifications, brand labels, and other customisations are available – feel free to discuss your requirements.

Q3: What is the shelf life of jujube products?

A: 12 months. Products should be stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, protected from moisture and pests.

Q4: Can I get a sample?

A: Yes, samples are provided free of charge – you only need to cover the shipping cost.