Egypt’s fresh strawberry season sits neatly inside the northern hemisphere shortfall. Fruit from the Nile Delta and from the reclaimed blocks around Ismailia, Nubaria and Beheira starts moving in the second half of November, builds through December and January, and carries volume until the end of March. Importers planning winter retail promotions for 2026/2027 should be in specification discussions now, well before planting decisions are locked for the coming crop.

Varieties in commercial export volume

Fortuna is the backbone of the export crop. It carries firm flesh, a uniform conical shape and a colour that holds through a five to seven day sea transit, which is why most European and Gulf retail programmes specify it by name. Festival remains widely planted and is favoured where a deeper red and higher sugar matter more than shelf life, typically wholesale markets and processing. Sabrina and Winter Star appear in smaller plantings and tend to be reserved for early-window air freight, where fruit size and appearance carry a premium. Variety choice should follow the destination channel rather than the calendar.

Grades, sizing and pack formats

Export fruit is graded to Class I under UNECE FFV-35, with a practical minimum diameter of 22 mm and a working range of 25 to 45 mm for retail punnets. Calyx must be green, fresh and intact. Bruised, misshapen and undersized fruit is diverted to the IQF line rather than downgraded into export cartons, which is one reason a fresh and frozen operation running side by side gives steadier fresh quality.

Standard palletisation is 120 x 100 cm industrial pallets, commonly 8 cartons per layer and 12 to 14 layers, giving 96 to 112 cartons per pallet depending on carton height. Euro pallets at 120 x 80 cm are available where the receiving warehouse requires them, at a modest loss of container fill.

Cold chain from field to container

Field heat is the single biggest determinant of arrival quality. Fruit is picked in the early morning, moved under shade to the packhouse within two hours, and forced-air cooled to a core temperature of 1 degree Celsius before palletisation. Reefer set point for transit is 0 to 1 degree Celsius with 90 to 95 percent relative humidity and closed or minimal fresh air exchange. Modified atmosphere liners with 10 to 15 percent carbon dioxide extend sea shelf life meaningfully and are recommended on any transit beyond five days. Temperature loggers should travel inside the pallet, not on the door.

Air and sea routing

Air freight from Cairo reaches most European and Gulf destinations within 24 to 48 hours and suits the December premium window and any programme built on Sabrina or oversized Fortuna. Sea remains the volume route: Alexandria and Damietta to the Western Mediterranean in six to eight days, to Northern Europe in ten to twelve, and to Jeddah or Jebel Ali in five to seven. Mixed pallets of fresh and frozen product are not workable in one reefer because the set points conflict, so frozen lines should be booked separately. Our IQF strawberry programme notes for 2026/2027 cover that side in detail.

Compliance and contracting

Shipments travel with a phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin, and residue analysis against the destination MRL set. GLOBALG.A.P is standard on the growing side and BRCGS applies at the packhouse. SGS or Intertek pre-shipment inspection is arranged on request. For the wider picture of what else is loading alongside strawberry in the same months, see our Egyptian produce export calendar for 2026/2027.

Volume for the November to March window is allocated in the order it is contracted. To request a specification sheet, sample dispatch or a price indication on FOB Alexandria or CFR terms under Incoterms 2020, message our export desk on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918.