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Meet the Maker: Lorena Prakash is always up for making a date

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A visit to a cousin in Dubai was all it took to spark Lorena Prakash’s fascination with dates. Not the kind of date where two people like each other and decide to get to know each other better, but rather the sweet dried fruits that are grown throughout the Middle East, as well as in California and Florida.

While in Dubai, Prakash visited an eatery that elevated dates to culinary art, “like jewelry,” she says. She brought back boxes of them for gifts and then began to wonder why we didn’t have anything similar here.

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“I don’t think I’d really ever tried dates, beyond date squares, before that,” she says. “It was a mind-boggling experience, and I fell in love with them. I really wondered, why don’t we eat more dates? Why don’t I eat more dates? And when I brought them home for people, everyone reacted the same way.”

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When she was laid off from her job in radio ad sales, she decided to see if she could turn her newfound obsession into a business. “My friends were getting concerned,” she says with a laugh. “They started sending me job postings, but I realized I couldn’t leave this idea alone.”

Two years ago, she launched Duzu Dates, which now offers eight different hand-made treats. Her Dream Dates, stuffed with almonds, dipped in milk chocolate and topped with a dusting of pink Himalayan salt, are among the most popular. Decadent Dates are also a big seller; they feature dark chocolate, plus salt, almonds and a hint of paprika. But new flavours are bringing new fans. The Chai Dates are filled with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and pumpkin seeds, while the Play Dates include pistachios, almonds, lemon, lavender, Alberta honey and organic white chocolate.

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Born in England, Prakash moved to Canada with her parents when she was a baby. Her mother was English, her father was from India, and she has family around the world.

While her Dubai trip sparked her love for the sweet chewy creations, Prakash shops a little closer to home for her raw ingredients. Her organic dates are grown in California, while many of her other ingredients come from local suppliers, including Master Chocolat.

Duzu Dates doesn’t yet bring in enough revenue for Prakash to commit to the business full time. To pay the bills, she teaches business and sales classes at SAIT. But, she says, she’s hopeful that down the road, people across the country will realize just how great her dates are. Not only are they delicious, she says, they’re good for you, too. “They’re very high in fibre. They’re high in potassium and high in iron. They contain manganese and magnesium,” she says. “They’re really overlooked in Canada as a superfood.”

duzudates.com.

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Duzu Dates are sold at the Italian Centre Shop, the Peter Lougheed, Rockyview and Foothills Hospitals, Blush Lane in Aspen and, in Canmore, at Mountain Mercato. They’re also for sale online at duzudates.com, where two-packs are $4.49 and a box of eight is $16.99.

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