Dried herbs are the easiest Egyptian category for a mid-size buyer to start with. The goods are ambient, so no reefer is needed. Shelf life is long, so a first order does not have to be sold in ten days. And because the product is light and compact, a meaningful quantity fits on a handful of pallets rather than filling a container on its own. That combination is why we run so many herb programmes at pallet level rather than container level.
The lines we ship regularly
Egypt is a serious origin for a short list of herbs and a longer list of specialities. The regular lines are chamomile flowers, hibiscus flowers, calendula, peppermint and spearmint leaves, basil, marjoram, dill weed and seed, parsley, fennel seed, coriander seed, cumin seed, caraway, anise, and lemongrass. Chamomile and hibiscus are the volume anchors, particularly for tea packers. Cumin and coriander move mostly to spice grinders and blenders.
Each line has its own harvest window, so a mixed order sometimes draws on two crop years. We state the crop year on every offer.
Cut, cleaning and sterilisation
Specify the cut. Whole leaf, tea bag cut, cut and sifted, crushed, and powder all trade at different prices and behave differently in a blend. Tea bag cut for chamomile is usually 0.4 to 1.5 mm. Cut and sifted for culinary herbs typically runs 2 to 5 mm.
Cleaning is the other variable that moves price. Standard cleaning covers destoning, sieving, air separation and metal detection. Beyond that, buyers can specify steam sterilisation or ETO-free treatment where microbiological limits are tight. Steam sterilisation reduces total plate count substantially, and it also softens colour slightly, which matters for hibiscus and for anything sold on visual appeal. Say what your limits are and we will tell you which route meets them without over-treating.
Specifications to agree up front
For every herb line, agree moisture percentage, foreign matter percentage, ash and acid-insoluble ash, essential oil content where relevant, colour, and the microbiological set covering total plate count, yeast and mould, E. coli, Salmonella and enterobacteriaceae. For spice seeds, add admixture and defective seed percentages. Pesticide residue is tested against EU MRLs where the destination is European, and we can provide a residue analysis per lot at buyer cost.
Packing and order sizes
Standard packing is 20 or 25 kg multiwall paper bags with an inner food-grade polyethylene liner, or 10 to 20 kg cartons for finer cuts and powders. Bulk bags are available for high-volume seed lines. Palletised, a 20 ft dry container holds around 8 to 12 tonnes of leaf herbs depending on bulk density, and considerably more of seed spices, which are denser.
Because leaf herbs cube out long before they weigh out, we run herb orders from one pallet upward and combine several lines into a single dry container. A common Peivana load is three or four herb lines plus a dry line such as legumes or dates. The mechanics of building that kind of load are described in our guide to building custom mixes, and the same logic applies on the ambient side.
Certification
We supply against GLOBALG.A.P at farm level and BRC at processing where the buyer’s programme requires it. Organic certification under EU and NOP standards is available on selected lines including chamomile, hibiscus and mint, subject to advance planning because certified volume is limited. Ask early in the season rather than at order stage.
Documents and logistics
Ambient herbs ship on the standard document set: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin and phytosanitary certificate. Some markets require a health certificate for herbal teas. Loading is from Alexandria or Damietta, and we quote FOB, CFR, CIF or DAP under Incoterms 2020. Lead time from confirmed order to loading is usually 10 to 20 days, extending where steam sterilisation or private-label packing is involved. Payment and trial-order terms are covered separately in our note on same-day quotes and small orders.
Getting a price
Send the line, cut, quantity, treatment requirement and destination, and we return a firm offer with a specification sheet, usually the same working day. Samples of 100 to 500 g go by courier before a first order.
Message the Peivana desk on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918 for current herb and spice availability.