Bahamii Lands Major Costco Rollout: How First-Gen Founders Took Date Bars from a Home Kitchen to Big Box in 18 Months

Bahamii, the fast-growing date-based snack brand, announced today a major retail expansion into 25 Costco locations across Southern California. The launch marks a significant milestone for the family-owned business, which has scaled from a local startup to big-box distribution in just 18 months.

The brand’s rapid ascent validates a growing consumer shift toward clean-label snacking, but Bahamii’s origin story is far from a typical corporate boardroom launch. The concept was inspired by founder Noah Nazarian’s great-grandmother, Parvin (affectionately known as "Mamane"), who brought a love for dates—a superfood staple of Persian culture—to the U.S. When she developed dietary restrictions, the family sought a way for her to enjoy a sweet treat without the sugar spike.

The result wasn't a handed-down family recipe, but one perfected through passion in Nazarian’s mother’s kitchen. The R&D process was intense: Nazarian recalls burning through two blenders—one of which started smoking and nearly caused a house fire—before finally perfecting a clean, preservative-free and no added sugar formula held together naturally by dates.

Today, that kitchen experiment has evolved into a polished CPG brand with a dual mission. The name "Bahamii" derives from the Farsi word Baham, meaning "together." The brand plays on a simple double meaning: Bahamii uses dates as the #1 ingredient, and when you go on a "date," you are together—so the mission is simply bringing everyone together through healthy food.

Beyond the ingredients, Bahamii is using its new retail footprint to drive social impact. The brand has dedicated its packaging real estate to support the Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley. The new Costco boxes actively promote the Bahamii Youth Venture Program, an initiative originally piloted by Nazarian.

What began as weekly in-person sessions taught by the founders has evolved into a self-sustaining curriculum used by Clubs across the region. The program has already taught over 5,000 students financial literacy and entrepreneurship by helping them build their own businesses. It also tackles childhood obesity by using Bahamii to demonstrate that healthy eating doesn't require sacrificing taste.

Bahamii Variety Packs (featuring Chocolate Almond, Coconut Vanilla, and Honey Cinnamon) will hit shelves the week of February 16, 2026, at 25 Costco locations throughout Los Angeles and Southern California.