Usman Shah

Syed Usman Shah, also known as the Date Sultan, is the founder of Date Sultan, a social enterprise that imports premium dates from the Middle East.13 He established the company in 2021 with a mission to tackle modern slavery in the date industry while providing high-quality, ethically sourced dates.1

Key points about Usman Shah:

1. Background: Born in Pakistan, he moved to the UK with his family when he was one month old and grew up in Newham, East London.3

2. Inspiration: His parents instilled a sense of community responsibility in him, including the tradition of gifting dates during Ramadan.3

3. Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship: He was awarded a traveling fellowship for his services to Diversity & Inclusion, which led him to visit date farms across the Middle East.1

4. Ethical focus: During his travels, he discovered the prevalence of modern slavery in date farms, which inspired him to create an ethical date business.1

5. Business model: Date Sultan works directly with farmers in Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia to ensure fair wages and ethical practices.3

6. Innovation: Usman experiments with date flavors, creating unique combinations like salted caramel-stuffed medjool dates.3

7. Social media success: A viral TikTok video helped launch his business, leading to a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised £19,999.13

8. Recognition: He was invited to speak at the International Date Palm Conference on 'Ethical Trading within the Date Industry'.1

Usman Shah's Date Sultan brand is now available at Borough Market in London and online, offering a variety of ethically sourced, premium dates.23