Black eyed beans (cowpeas, Vigna unguiculata) are one of Egypt’s quiet export successes. Grown on the light soils of the Delta and Nubaria and dried under near-guaranteed sunshine, black eyed beans from Egypt reach the cream-white colour and distinct black hilum that Mediterranean, Gulf, African and diaspora markets pay for. Because the crop stores well and Egypt maintains steady processing capacity, PEIVANA offers them year-round from cleaned, sorted stock.
For an importer, black eyed beans are bought on numbers: caliber (count per 100 g), purity percentage, moisture and defect tolerances. This guide gives you the working spec sheet — grades, sizes, 25/50 kg PP bag formats, QC checks and container maths — so your next enquiry can be answered with a firm offer in hours. Commercial specs live on the black eyed beans product page.
Grades
Premium / Grade 1: machine-cleaned, optically sorted and hand-checked; purity 99%+, uniform cream colour, well-defined black eye, max 1% broken/damaged, virtually free of discoloured seed. For retail packers and premium wholesale.
Grade 2 / standard: purity 98–99%, up to 2–3% broken, slight colour variation allowed. For milling, canning and price-driven wholesale markets.
Both grades: sound, dry, free of live infestation, free of admixture beyond tolerance (other seeds, stones, sticks). Fumigation certificate issued before loading.
Sizes & Calibers
| Caliber | Count per 100 g | Seed size | Typical market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large | 38–42 | >8 mm | Gulf retail, EU ethnic retail |
| Medium | 42–50 | 7–8 mm | General wholesale, canners |
| Small | 50–60 | 6–7 mm | Africa trade, milling |
Specify count per 100 g rather than adjectives — “large” in one market is “medium” in another. Moisture: max 12–13% depending on destination humidity and voyage length.
Packing Formats
| Format | Net weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PP woven bag | 25 kg | Export standard; printed or neutral |
| PP woven bag | 50 kg | Africa and wholesale programmes |
| Poly bag in carton | 10 × 1 kg or 12 × 900 g | Retail, private label |
| Big bag (jumbo) | 1,000 kg | Industrial repackers |
A 20′ container takes ~24–25 t in 25/50 kg bags (palletised or floor-loaded with kraft paper lining). Retail cartons palletise at 800–1,000 kg per pallet. Desiccant strips and moisture-barrier liners available for humid destinations.
Season and Availability
The main Egyptian cowpea harvest lands September–November, with new-crop offers from October. Thanks to conditioned storage, cleaned stock ships all twelve months — one reason black eyed beans anchor legume programmes when other origins go quiet. See how the dry-goods cycle interlocks with fresh crops in the Egyptian produce seasons calendar.
QC Checkpoints Buyers Should Ask For
- Purity certificate — stated % purity with the sieve/sorting method; premium contracts run 99%+.
- Moisture reading — calibrated meter result per lot at stuffing, on the loading report.
- Defect count — broken, insect-damaged, discoloured and weevil-holed seeds itemised separately, not lumped as “defects”.
- Live infestation — zero tolerance; fumigation certificate (phosphine) with date and dosage.
- Foreign matter — max 0.5% including stones and other grains; metal detection at bagging.
- Pre-shipment sample — sealed 1 kg sample couriered for approval before stuffing on first orders.
Mixed-Container Fit
Dry legumes are the easiest consolidation category there is: no reefer, no temperature compromise — just weight planning. Black eyed beans routinely share a 20′ box with chickpeas, lentils and white beans in a mixed legumes container from Egypt: for example 8 t black eyed + 8 t chickpeas + 9 t lentils. That is the PEIVANA model in miniature — see the mixed produce containers guide for how we build multi-product loads for mid-size importers.
FAQ
What purity should I specify for retail packing?
99% minimum with max 1% broken. For canning or milling, 98% keeps cost down without hurting the end product.
Are Egyptian black eyed beans available in summer?
Yes — year-round from conditioned stock. New-crop (October onward) offers the freshest colour; stored stock is re-cleaned and re-fumigated before shipment.
Can I combine black eyed beans with other legumes below full-container volume?
That is exactly our specialty — mixed legume containers from roughly 5 t per item, one document set, one shipment.
Request a Quotation
Send caliber, grade, bag format and destination port — PEIVANA returns a firm offer, usually the same day. Use the contact form or WhatsApp.