Mazafati dates never grow anywhere near a greenhouse. They come out of Bam and Jiroft in southern Iran, open desert groves where the fruit ripens in dry heat with no glass, no misting, nothing designed to hold humidity in. Mazafati's climate-control problem starts after harvest, once the fruit is off the tree and needs to stay soft without spoiling.
What sets Mazafati apart from harder varieties like Deglet Noor or Zahedi is moisture content — it's one of the softest, wettest dates on the market, closer to a fresh fruit than a dried one. That's exactly why it needs refrigerated storage rather than just a dry warehouse. A dehumidified room stops mould in drier varieties; Mazafati needs actual cold, typically held close to freezing, because its natural sugar and water content keep fermentation active even in low humidity if the temperature isn't controlled too.
Cold storage, not just dry storage
This is the detail that separates Mazafati handling from most other date varieties in the trade. Growers and exporters keep it in cold rooms from the point of sorting through to shipping, and importers who don't maintain that cold chain end up with fruit that's fermented or overly soft by the time it reaches a shelf. A greenhouse manages heat for growing; a Mazafati cold room manages the opposite, for storage, after the growing is already done.
What this means buying in Malaysia
Ask whether Mazafati has been kept cold the whole way, not just packed well. Harga Kurma: Technology's Role in Date Palm Cultivation covers more on how growers monitor these conditions, and our piece on Medjool pricing is a useful comparison point for how moisture content affects price across varieties. Date Wholesale Green Diamond keeps Mazafati in cold storage rather than treating it like a standard dried date.