Fresh strawberry imports from Egypt run from mid November to late March, and the buyers who get consistent supply are the ones who book in September. Strawberry is the least forgiving product Egypt exports. Total life from picking is seven to ten days, the fruit must be held at 0 to 1 C without ever freezing, and a single warm hour at any point in the chain shows up as leaking punnets on the retail shelf. For a mid-size buyer taking part-loads rather than full containers, that changes what is worth ordering and how.
Formats and half-pallet quantities
| Format | Carton content | Net weight | Cartons per half pallet | Typical route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail punnet | 8 x 250 g | 2.0 kg | 90 to 110 | Air |
| Retail punnet | 10 x 250 g | 2.5 kg | 80 to 100 | Air |
| Large punnet | 4 x 500 g | 2.0 kg | 90 to 110 | Air or short sea |
| Open tray | Loose in liner | 2.5 to 4.0 kg | 70 to 90 | Short sea, processing |
Air or sea, and be honest about which
For European and Gulf retail programmes, fresh strawberry moves by air. Cairo to most European hubs is a same-night flight, the fruit is on the shelf within 48 to 72 hours of picking, and it still has four or five days of useful life left. That is what the product needs. Sea freight to Northern Europe takes 9 to 14 days and consumes the entire shelf life before the fruit clears the port.
Sea works in two situations. The first is short transits, principally Jeddah and Jebel Ali at five to eight days, where a strong cold chain and a modified atmosphere liner can land fruit in reasonable condition. The second is fruit destined for processing rather than retail, where a day or two of extra age is not fatal. Anyone quoting you sea freight for retail punnets into Northern Europe is either transhipping through a ripening room or hoping. Our air freight checklist for fresh Egyptian strawberries covers the cost per kilo and the airport-side handling.
Booking lead times for the season
Strawberry allocation is settled earlier than any other Egyptian crop because the planted area is fixed in August and the packing capacity is limited. Indicate your weekly volume by late September and confirm it in October. A buyer who calls in December asking for 100 cartons a week is joining a queue behind programmes that were agreed three months earlier, and will be quoted spot prices that reflect it.
Weekly consistency matters more than volume. A standing order of 60 cartons every Tuesday is easier to serve, and cheaper, than 400 cartons once a month, because the packhouse can plan the pick against it. If you are combining strawberry with other products, note that almost nothing else Egypt exports shares its 0 to 1 C set point, so a strawberry line on a mixed load usually travels as a separate consignment rather than in the same box. The month-by-month picture is in our part-load booking calendar.
One specification note worth writing into the order. State the maximum acceptable pulp temperature at handover and require it to be recorded, not assumed. On strawberry, that single line prevents more disputes than every other quality clause combined.
Peivana is an Egyptian exporter, not a neutral reviewer. Formats and quantities are indicative for the 2026/2027 season and are confirmed per order.
Planning strawberry for this winter? Send your weekly volume, punnet format and destination airport or port to Peivana on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918 and we will confirm allocation and a same-day price.