A fresh coriander supplier is selling leaves, not stems, and the way the bunch is cut shows whether the supplier has understood that. Hatipoğlu Tarım, an Antalya-based exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables since 2002, produces coriander all year. This guide is for importers, wholesalers and retail buyers; it explains the cut, the same-day handling, what research says about aroma and shelf life, the packaging, the documents and the enquiry.
Coriander and cilantro: the same fresh herb
Coriander is a fresh green with bright leaves and a distinctive aroma, used in many different cuisines. In some markets the leaf is traded as cilantro, so a buyer looking for cilantro wholesale is looking for this product. The company selects it on leaf integrity, colour and aroma. Neighbouring guides: fresh mint and rocket.
Cut from the top, thick stems removed
The valuable part of coriander is the leaf. For that reason the bunches are cut from the upper part of the plant and the thick lower stems are separated. What the buyer pays for is therefore leaf rather than stalk.
Washed and cooled on the day of harvest
Coriander is produced all year. After cutting it is washed the same day, cooled quickly and placed in ventilated cases that help it stay fresh. Fresh coriander from Turkey is on the calendar from January to December; the season calendar shows the other products.
Aroma fades before the leaf does: a research finding
One finding in the UC Davis data for fresh culinary herbs concerns coriander directly. Visual shelf life is longer than useful life in the kitchen: the aroma of coriander falls markedly after 10 days, although under some conditions the product can still look marketable at 21 days. For a buyer this is a reason to plan short storage at destination and not to judge an older lot by appearance alone.
The general figures from the same source are 0 °C for most herbs, relative humidity above 95%, and an expected shelf life of three weeks at 0 °C and two weeks at 5 °C. It also notes that some herbs, coriander and parsley among them, are iced, that others are vacuum cooled, and that water loss is a serious cause of quality loss. All of this is research data; the company’s own handling is the washing and quick cooling described above.
Quality points to check
- Leaf integrity: whole leaves, no damage.
- Colour: bright green, no yellowed leaves.
- Aroma: distinctive and clearly present.
- Cut: leafy upper part, without thick lower stems.
Mixed loads
Coriander can share a truck with lettuces, other fresh herbs and spring onions, which are all carried at around 0 °C. Greenhouse vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers are carried at around 10 °C and cannot travel at the same temperature. Because spring onion odour can transfer, mention it if your order includes both. Background: cold chain in fresh produce export.
Carton or crate: the 30 × 40 × 14 cm case
The case measures 30 × 40 × 14 cm and comes as a carton or a plastic crate. The buyer states the bunch weight or the number of bunches wanted. Cases are stacked on 80 × 120 cm euro pallets. Pallet arrangement is described in our article on loading patterns.
Documents to import coriander from Turkey
If you plan to import coriander from Turkey, check three items. First, the certificates: ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 10002, GLOBALG.A.P. IFA and GRASP. Second, residues: every lot shipped to Europe is analysed, and the limits are explained in EU pesticide MRLs. Third, the tariff position: we give no HS code for coriander leaf, since classification can depend on the intended use and the country, so have your customs broker confirm it before shipment.
The order in six steps
Harvest by cutting from the top, washing and cooling on the same day, grading, packing in ventilated cases, cold storage and dispatch make up the process. The planning unit is the truck, and a standard 13.60 m refrigerated truck has room for 33 euro pallets.
Information for a quotation
For fresh coriander bulk supply we need six items: type, bunch weight or count, packaging, weekly volume, delivery week and destination country. Ring +90 242 339 55 25, use WhatsApp on +90 534 260 07 25, or e-mail info@hatipoglutarim.com.
Hatipoğlu Tarım has exported fresh fruit and vegetables from Antalya since 2002. Under the FİNİKE brand it ships 128 product lines to 42 countries, with harvest, grading, cold storage and dispatch handled in house across five facilities in Serik, Kepez, Mavikent, Yenişehir and Alaşehir.
Send us your coriander specification with the weekly volume and destination, and we will return a quotation.
