Bennu Brings Sustainable Hand-Picked Medjool Dates to Your Table

When the rumbling calls of those Ramadan hunger pangs can finally be answered at Maghrib, there’s nothing quite like a juicy, tender date to reward the commendable dawn-to-dusk patience. But enough with the rehydrated run-of-the-mill balah (no offence); they’ve had their day in the sun - literally.

Bennu is the new kid on the block, a company aiming to show off the very best of the produce that Egypt’s fertile land can offer, specifically in the form of those decadent, dark-brown delights, nature’s perfect cubes of molasses-like magic: Medjool dates.

Founded by Cairene Ali Talaat, Bennu produces fresh hand-picked Medjool dates, grown in Minya. “The inspiration behind Bennu arose from my desire to showcase Egypt’s exceptional agricultural products on the global stage,” Talaat tells SceneEats. “Recognising the natural resources and fertile lands of Egypt, I went on a journey to create Bennu and promote Egypt’s rich agricultural heritage on a global scale.”

Talaat is not simply slapping eye-catching branding on an existing product and calling it a day. “Bennu is an agricultural company that includes the full cycle from growing the produce to local distribution and exporting,” Talaat says. This business has been two years in the making, with products only recently coming to market. For Talaat, he used that time to build a home-grown business from the ground up, using his background in engineering to cultivate every aspect of what he hopes will become the latest ‘Made in Egypt’ success, from packaging, distribution and export plans, right the way down to the procurement of the date palms themselves, and trusty teams of staff to tend to them.

Sustainability is also at the forefront of Bennu’s mission, seeking to not pollute and damage the very land that provides the product it is so proud to sell. Electricity at their farms is derived exclusively from solar power, benefiting the environment and providing a fully guilt-free (and only mildly gluttonous) experience for those lucky enough to get their hands on a box.

The dates are currently available for purchase online at the Bennu website, or at Royal House in Heliopolis.