A mixed container keeps the 40 ft box full while several products share it, so a buyer commits to less of each line. Each mix is built around the buyer’s request and agreed case by case against the carrying temperature and ventilation each product needs. Oranges are the exception: they ship in full 40 ft reefers only, including trial orders, and are never loaded with mandarins or lemons; any other mix that includes oranges is on request, subject to approval.
Last updated: October 2026
Why Container MOQs Exist at All
Exporters do not impose minimums out of arrogance. A shipment carries fixed costs that do not care how much cargo shares them: the ocean freight for the box, trucking and port handling, the phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin and document set, customs clearance at both ends, and the administrative time of running one file. Spread over a full container those costs shrink in the price per kilo; spread over a small load they eat the margin.
The mixed container answers differently: keep the container full, but let several products share it. That is the thesis of the mixed produce container from Egypt.
Worked Example 1: The Distributor Who Needs Several Products
A foodservice distributor needs potatoes, onions and green beans every month, in moderate volumes of each. Under single-product minimums the choice looks like this:
| Approach | What you must order | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Single-product containers | One full container per product | Months of stock per product; cash locked; freshness lost on the tail |
| One mixed container | One container shared across the lines, if the mix is approved | One booking, one document set, fresher stock each cycle |
Worked Example 2: The Cost-Per-Pallet Logic
Call the fixed cost of moving one 40 ft reefer — freight, trucking, handling, documents, clearance — F, independent of what is inside.
| Scenario | Fixed cost per pallet | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Full container (any approved mix) | F ÷ all pallets | The benchmark: mixed or single, a full box is a full box |
| Half-full container | About twice the benchmark | Shipping air; the empty half doubles everyone’s freight |
| Consolidation through a re-seller hub | Freight share plus the hub’s margin | You pay for the convenience twice |
The point: cost per pallet depends on how full the box is, not on how many products fill it. Mixing keeps the box full when no single product justifies a whole container. Shelf-stable lines like legumes are useful gap-fillers in dry containers; see the legumes container guide.
Worked Example 3: Testing a New Product
A Gulf retailer wants to trial Egyptian sweet potatoes. A full-container test is months of trial stock for a mid-size chain. As a share of a mixed container, agreed per request, the trial becomes smaller and can be adjusted between arrivals. See the Gulf retail container guide and the private label guide.
Oranges: Always a Full Container
| Case | Rule |
|---|---|
| Oranges with mandarins or lemons | Not loaded together |
| Oranges with any other product | On request, subject to approval |
| Oranges on their own | Full 40 ft reefer only (1,664 cartons of 15 kg = 24.96 t), including trial orders |
Full orange specification on the Peivana oranges page.
When a Single-Product Container Still Wins
- You sell container volume of one line. A juice factory buying oranges or a wholesaler moving onions in volume gains nothing from mixing, and a single-product box loads faster.
- Temperatures refuse to share. Frozen at −18 °C never rides with fresh; mango and strawberries need very different temperatures. Some wish-lists are physically two containers; see the reefer vs dry planning guide.
- Floor-loading beats palletising. Price-driven staples can carry more payload floor-stacked as a single product.
- Your own customer buys full containers. Pass them through.
Many mid-size importers end up hybrid: single-product boxes for their volume lines, plus a mixed box for the rest. See the mid-size importer guide.
FAQ: Produce MOQs and Containers
What is the minimum order to import produce from Egypt?
For oranges, a full 40 ft reefer, including trial orders. For other products, a mixed container can be built around your request; each mix is agreed against the temperature and ventilation each product needs and confirmed after approval.
Can oranges go in a mixed container?
Oranges are never loaded with mandarins or lemons. Any other mixed container that includes oranges is on request, subject to approval. Otherwise oranges ship in full 40 ft reefers, including trial orders.
Is a mixed container more expensive per pallet?
The fixed freight and clearance costs per pallet are about the same in any full box. Multi-product loading and documentation add some handling.
Can I change the product mix every shipment?
Each mix is agreed per request, so the contents can change with your sales and the Egyptian seasons calendar.
Ask for today’s price on your container
Tell us your products, rough volumes, packing and destination port, and ask for today’s price. Email: [email protected]