Egypt is one of the world’s largest table-olive producers — by some counts the largest — yet many importers still reflexively source from Spain or Greece at higher cost. The Egyptian table olive sector, centred on the desert groves of Fayoum, Ismailia and the northwest coast, turns out green Picholine and Dolce, naturally ripened black olives, and the full range of processed formats: whole, pitted, sliced and stuffed, in brine grades tailored to the buyer’s shelf-life and labelling needs.
For wholesale buyers of Egyptian table olives, the contract is really three specifications in one: the fruit (variety, caliber, colour), the cure (Spanish-style fermented, natural black, oxidised), and the cover brine (salt %, pH, acidity). This guide walks through all three, plus drums-pails-jars packing, season timing, QC checkpoints and mixed-container strategies. Commercial specs are on the olives product page. PEIVANA, the flexible Egyptian exporter, ships olives as dedicated loads or alongside other ambient goods.
Varieties and Styles
Picholine (green): elongated, firm-fleshed, high flesh-to-pit ratio; the premium Egyptian green olive for whole and pitted formats. Crisp texture that survives long brine storage — the workhorse of export contracts.
Dolce / Aggezi group (green): rounder, milder local varieties cured Spanish-style (lye treatment, then lactic fermentation). Excellent for stuffed formats (pimiento, carrot, lemon) and value retail lines.
Natural black olives: tree-ripened fruit fermented directly in brine without lye — dark purple-black, fruity, slightly bitter profile (Greek-style). Sold whole or pitted, in brine or dry-salt styles on request.
Oxidised black (Californian-style) and sliced/pitted industrial formats for pizza chains and food manufacturers are available from partner processors.
Sizes & Calibers
Table olives are sized by count per kilogram, per the international (IOC) convention:
| Designation | Count / kg | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mammoth | 91–100 | Premium deli, jars |
| Mammoth | 101–110 | Retail jars, deli counters |
| Super Colossal | 111–120 | Retail, HORECA |
| Colossal | 121–140 | Retail all-rounder |
| Giant | 141–160 | Food service |
| Extra Large / Large | 161–200 / 201–230 | Pitting and stuffing lines |
| Medium / Small | 231–260 / 261–290 | Slicing, industrial |
Specify count per kg on the PO — e.g. “green Picholine whole, 141–160/kg” — and whether the count applies before or after pitting.
Brine Specifications
The cover brine is a food-safety parameter, not an afterthought. Standard export specs:
| Style | Salt (NaCl) | pH | Acidity (lactic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green fermented (Spanish-style) | 5–8% | ≤ 4.0 | ≥ 0.5% |
| Natural black in brine | 6–10% | ≤ 4.3 | ≥ 0.4% |
| Pasteurised retail jars | 3–5% | ≤ 4.3 | per recipe |
Buyers repacking at destination usually take high-salt drum stock and re-brine; retail-ready jars ship at eating-strength salt with pasteurisation. State on the contract which regime you need — preservation brine or eating brine — and whether acidified (citric/lactic added) brines are acceptable under your label law.
Packing Formats
| Format | Net drained weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic drum (open-top, food grade) | 150 kg (≈200 kg gross) | Bulk repacking standard; ~80 drums / 20′ |
| Plastic pail | 8–10 kg | Food service, deli wholesale |
| Glass jars | 370 / 720 ml — 200–400 g | Retail, private label, pasteurised |
| Tins (A10) | ~1.8–2 kg drained | Catering, pizza chains |
| Vacuum / stand-up pouches | 200 g–1 kg | Modern retail, lower freight weight |
A 20′ container takes roughly 12–16 t drained weight in drums, or 10–12 t in retail glass (palletised). Olives in brine ship at ambient temperature — no reefer needed for fermented styles — which keeps freight simple and cheap.
Season
The Egyptian olive harvest runs September–November: green olives picked September–October at the straw-green stage, natural black fruit left to ripen into November. Fermentation takes 2–6 months, so new-season green stock ships from roughly December, natural black from late winter — and cured stock from tanks ships year-round. Slot olives into your annual programme with the Egyptian produce seasons calendar.
QC Checkpoints Buyers Should Ask For
- Brine analysis per lot — salt %, pH and free acidity measured at filling and certified; this is your microbiological safety net for ambient transit.
- Caliber count verification — count/kg check on drained sample, per drum lot.
- Defect panel — IOC trade-standard tolerances for blemished fruit, soft/shrivelled olives, broken skin, pit fragments in pitted product (critical — specify max pits/pieces per 100 olives).
- Texture check — firmness by penetrometer or trained-panel scoring; mushy olives indicate fermentation faults.
- Colour uniformity — especially for green stuffed lines and natural black (mottled lots downgrade).
- Food-safety file — HACCP/ISO 22000 or BRCGS certificate of the processing plant, plus heavy-metals and pesticide (MRL) analysis on request.
- Pre-shipment sample — sealed jar or pouch from the actual tank/lot, couriered before stuffing.
Mixed-Container Fit
Because fermented olives travel at ambient, they consolidate naturally with dry legumes and other shelf-stable goods: a 20′ box carrying 8 t of olive drums + 12 t of chickpeas and lentils is a routine PEIVANA build — see the mixed legumes container guide for the documentation mechanics and the mixed produce containers overview for the wider model. For retail importers, mixing green, black, pitted and stuffed SKUs inside one container is standard — no single-style minimums.
FAQ
What is the shelf life of Egyptian table olives?
Drum stock in preservation brine: 12–18 months at ambient stored out of direct sun. Pasteurised retail jars: 24 months. Both assume unbroken brine cover — top-up brine instructions ship with every drum consignment.
Can you match a Spanish manzanilla specification?
Functionally, yes — Egyptian Dolce and Picholine cover the same use-cases (whole, pitted, stuffed) at meaningfully lower cost. We’ll send counter-samples against your current spec sheet so your QA team can cup them side by side.
Do you supply private-label retail jars?
Yes — 370/720 ml glass with your artwork, EU/GCC-compliant labelling, pasteurised, from one-pallet-per-SKU quantities inside a mixed container.
Request a Quotation
Tell us style (green/black), caliber count, brine regime and packing format — PEIVANA prices it, usually the same day. Use the contact form or message WhatsApp.