When European strawberry production sleeps, Egypt delivers. Egyptian strawberries fill the northern counter-season with bright red, sweet Festival and Fortuna fruit picked in the Nile Delta and moved to market quickly. Nile Prime runs a dawn-harvest, same-day-packing operation built around one goal: fresh strawberries that arrive looking and tasting like they were picked the day before.
Why Egyptian Strawberries?
Mild, sunny Delta winters allow open-field and tunnel production when Northern Hemisphere volumes are at their lowest, and Egyptian cost structures make counter-season programmes commercially attractive. Short flights to Europe and the Gulf put Egyptian fruit on shelf faster than most competing winter origins.
Specifications
| Season | December–March |
|---|---|
| Main Varieties | Festival, Fortuna |
| Sizes & Grades | Class I; uniform colour and calibre per punnet |
| Packing | 2.5 kg cartons or 250 g retail punnets; air freight for premium programmes |
| Container | 40 ft reefer for sea shipments; air cargo for premium fresh |
| Certifications | GLOBALG.A.P farms; HACCP packhouses; phytosanitary certificate and certificate of origin; SGS/Intertek inspection on request |
Packing & Shipping
Berries are picked in the cool early morning, packed directly into 250 g punnets or 2.5 kg cartons in the field or packhouse, and forced-air cooled within hours. Air programmes move out of Cairo where the arrival window demands it; sea programmes load in 40 ft reefer containers from Alexandria, Damietta, Sokhna and Port Said. All shipments are quoted under Incoterms 2020 — FOB, CFR/CIF or DAP/DPU.
Guides for Strawberry Buyers
- Egyptian strawberry export guide — varieties, specifications and programmes.
- Egyptian strawberry season — how the window builds and closes.
- Importing into the Gulf — the short-lane programme.
- IQF frozen strawberries — the year-round alternative to a seasonal fresh line.
- Shelf life and storage chart — what the cold chain has to hold.
- Strawberry exporters in Egypt — how to qualify a supplier.
FAQ
What is the minimum order for fresh strawberries?
Sea-freight minimum is one full 40 ft reefer container, with mixed winter loads possible. Air-freight programmes can start smaller. Samples are available at season start.
Can punnets carry our retail brand?
Yes. Branded punnets, lidding film and cartons, with labelling built to your destination market’s rules.
Should I ship strawberries by air or by sea?
Air where the fruit has to arrive at full eating ripeness and the margin carries the freight; sea for volume where the variety and the cold chain can hold the condition. Strawberry is the line where this decision matters most, because the fruit has the least tolerance of any we ship.
Festival or Fortuna?
Festival where the programme is sold on taste, because it carries colour and sweetness right through the fruit. Fortuna where the pack has to look uniform on arrival after a longer leg, because it is firmer and sizes more evenly.
How is the cold chain handled on such a delicate fruit?
Picking in the cool early morning, forced-air cooling within hours of harvest, and an unbroken monitored chain to delivery. There is no correcting a strawberry handling mistake later, so the sequence is fixed rather than optional.
Do you supply frozen strawberries as well?
Yes, as IQF whole, sliced or diced. Many buyers run both: fresh through the window for a retail line, frozen across the year for processing. They are different purchases with different specifications.
Send your requirement and we will come back with an offer. Message the desk on WhatsApp or use the contact page.
