Shop Local - The Date Stand
By: Bethany Myers
As a food lover and mom of four little ones, Emi Rigby was looking for a creative outlet to express herself and do something she enjoyed. Known for her sweet tooth, she has always looked to make natural swaps for original sweet recipes at home - like the date fruit. She began learning about dates while traveling in Morocco, and she frequently visited Palm Desert, where a huge portion of the world's dates are grown. The warm, dry climate is the perfect atmosphere for date palms to flourish and produce these sweet fruits. Like many other locals at the time, Emi fell in love with dates and started to make her own healthier rendition of the unofficial drink of Palm Springs, the date shake.
She used all-natural ingredients, appreciating the way dates naturally sweeten a recipe with more nutrients and less of the downsides of processed sugar. After so many friends and family begged for more, she knew the demand was there. In November of 2021, Emi made the courageous leap to launch her business, The Date Stand, and bring a Palm Desert staple to Newport Beach, continuing to expand ever since.
The Date Stand offers wholesome goods, all of which incorporate dates. From the healthy date shake, granola made with date honey, peanut butter stuffed chocolate dipped dates to homemade sweet date bread and more, the company has created unique items that customers keep coming back for. Working as a cottage bakery, The Date Stand offers online orders along with pop-up markets.
What’s Unique about the Business
One obvious yet very unique attribute of the business is that every single menu item contains the exact same ingredient: dates! Although they’re used in different ways - from date sugar, puréed dates, date honey, and sweet and savory items - the theme makes it especially interesting. In addition, the humor of their menu always seems to make customers giggle, with menu items such as "First Date," "Speed Date" and "Double Date." Another reason The Date Stand is different is the commitment to donating proceeds from each sale to a food-based nonprofit organization.
What the Community Should Know
The business was created to cultivate meaningful connections around delicious food. For Emi to take her deep love of cooking and turn it into a bigger legacy is a dream in and of itself.
Any new customers are welcome to peruse weekly orders on datestand.com, or place custom orders as they wish.
When The Date Stand is available at local markets or other pop up locations, the details are posted on their Instagram account or in their email newsletter, which can be accessed on their website.
Inspiration in Business
Emi was inspired to show her children an example of building something from scratch and has been adamant about involving them in small ways to give them a sense of responsibility and purpose. She also is inspired to share more wholesome foods with others in hopes to ignite their own passion for healthier options.
Interesting Facts
Emi has been ramping up the business more slowly due to becoming a mom and spending time with her little ones over the years, and cherishes that she’s able to have a flexible schedule.
The Date Stand has sold out of every pop up market they’ve participated in. Emi is hoping to expand into even more local markets with some popular items in 2023.
Message to the Community
Emi is grateful for all the support she has received from the community. Opening her business just a year after moving to Newport Beach and having her fourth child, the love and kindness that’s poured in has been tremendous.
About Emi
Emi grew up in the ski town of Park City, Utah, and attended the University of Utah, followed by Loyola Marymount for Grad School. After completing Teach For America in the Bay Area, she went on to work at Google and other tech startups while living in San Francisco. Emi and her husband lived abroad in Europe for a year before having children, and now have two girls and two boys. Both of her girls were born in Palo Alto, and her two boys were born in Newport Beach after the family moved in 2020. Currently, their family lives in the Port Streets, and they couldn’t be happier or more content.
Life Outside of Work
Even when she’s not baking at work, Emi loves to bake and cook at home. She also enjoys a good game of tennis, running, and exploring new places - although her travel blog has gone a bit quiet lately, before having kids, she would often document her amazing trips around the world to memorialize her fondest moments.
Giving Back
Whether it's PTA at Andersen Elementary or serving in leadership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Emi is passionate about giving back to the community. In addition, she helps manage a community maker's market in Port Streets which features local businesses from around Newport Beach and Orange County. As it has grown in popularity, they are looking to expand the pop-up market into other areas. The Date Stand also supports World Central Kitchen, a favorite non-profit that brings food to disaster areas in need.
The Date Stand | (949) 478-4482 | www.datestand.com
Follow on Instagram @thedatestand
