Frozen strawberry is one of the few Egyptian categories where the contract is written months before the fruit exists. Production runs from late December through April, but the processing lines that will fill those orders are sold through August, September and October. Buyers who wait until the first freezing week to open discussions are negotiating against a line that is already committed.

Varieties and what they mean for the finished pack

Egyptian growers supplying the freezing industry work mainly with Festival, Fortuna and Sensation. Festival carries strong internal colour and holds shape well after thawing, which makes it the usual choice for whole IQF destined for bakery and dessert applications. Fortuna gives higher yields and a slightly softer texture, so it moves more often into sliced, diced and crumble formats. Sensation sits between the two. When you ask for a quotation, name the format you need rather than the variety, and let the processor allocate the raw material that fits it.

Grades, cuts and specification points

Standard commercial grading separates Grade A, Grade B and industrial. Grade A is calibrated fruit, typically 15 to 35 mm, uniform colour, minimal calyx and deformed count. Grade B allows a wider calibre range and a higher tolerance on shape and colour. Industrial grade is normally destined for puree, jam and juice and is priced accordingly. Cuts available are whole, halved, sliced at 8 to 10 mm, diced at 10 by 10 mm, and crumble.

The specification lines that matter most on arrival are brix, free of foreign material, calyx count per kilogram, defect and deformed percentage, and microbiological limits. Egyptian processors working to BRCGS standards run metal detection on every carton and sieve the crumble streams. Ask for the process flow diagram at contract stage rather than after the first container.

Pack formats and container loading

The common export packs are 1 kg polybags packed ten to a 10 kg carton, 20 lb cartons for North American programmes, and 20 or 25 kg bulk polybags in a lined carton or on a slip sheet for industrial buyers. Cartons are stacked on 100 by 120 cm export pallets, usually eight to ten layers depending on carton height, and shrink wrapped with corner boards.

A 40 ft high cube reefer carries roughly 20 to 24 tonnes net of IQF strawberry, with the lower figure applying to retail cartons and the higher figure to bulk bags. The set point is minus 18 degrees Celsius, and it should be confirmed on the loading temperature record before the doors are sealed. Product core temperature at stuffing should already be at minus 18, not on its way there. Our guidance on reefer container loading and set points by crop covers the loading discipline in more detail.

Certification and documentation

Expect BRCGS or ISO 22000 at the processing plant, HACCP, and GLOBALG.A.P at farm level for the supplying growers. Buyers into the European Union should also confirm residue screening against current MRLs before shipment rather than after. Third party inspection by SGS or Intertek is available on request and is normally arranged at loading.

Booking window and ports

Contracts for the 2026/2027 season are best closed between August and October, with volume phased across January, February and March shipments. Loading is out of Alexandria, Damietta and Ain Sokhna, on FOB, CFR or CIF terms under Incoterms 2020. If you are also building frozen vegetable volume, it is worth reading our note on Egyptian IQF okra and molokhia programmes, since the two categories share freezing capacity and can share a container.

To discuss volumes, formats and pricing for the 2026/2027 frozen strawberry season, contact the PEI Trade export team on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918. Send the format, grade, annual tonnage and destination port and we will come back with a written offer.