A leek supplier in Turkey should begin with one question to the buyer: how long must the white shank be? Hatipoğlu Tarım is an Antalya-based exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables, established in 2002, and it trims leeks to the white shank length the order asks for, in all twelve months of the year. This guide tells importers, wholesalers and retail buyers how the leek is specified and prepared, when its quality is at its best, how it is packed and classified, and how to request a quotation.
Leeks from Turkey: what is assessed
The leek is assessed by its white shank and by a balanced thickness. Those two features decide both the look of the product and its usefulness to the customer, and leeks from Turkey are prepared by the company with both in mind. In the same family, the series includes a guide to the spring onion; leafy lines start with iceberg lettuce.
Trimmed to the white shank length you specify
The company cleans and trims the leeks according to the targeted length of white shank, so that the product matches the appearance and the usable quality buyers expect. For wholesale leeks, the white length is therefore the first figure in the specification. If your customers want a particular thickness as well, give that figure in the same message.
The calendar and the cool months
Leek grows throughout the year, and the product calendar marks every month. Quality is not identical across the year, however. According to the company, the shanks thicken in the cool months, and leek offers particularly good quality in that period. A buyer who needs a thicker shank should plan the main volume for the cool months. The season calendar sets leek beside the other products.
What is checked during selection
During selection and preparation the following points are checked with care; the last one comes from the order itself:
- Shank integrity: the shank is whole and undamaged.
- Cleanliness: the leek is clean after trimming.
- Freshness: shank and leaves are fresh.
- White length: trimmed to the length in the order.
A note on temperature and shelf life
Other guides in this series quote postharvest figures from the UC Davis fact sheets. That source has no fact sheet for leek, so we give no temperature, humidity or storage figure here instead of borrowing one from another product. Leeks are shipped in refrigerated trucks, as the rest of the range is; ask us about the transport conditions when you send your enquiry, and mention any other products that are to travel on the same vehicle. General background is in our article on the cold chain in fresh produce export.
Cartons and pallets
Leeks are packed in cartons of 60 × 40 × 15 cm and prepared in line with the shipment plan. Cartons are palletised on 80 × 120 cm euro pallets. For the full range of case formats, see packaging and case sizes in export.
HS code and documents to import leeks from Turkey
The customs code for leeks is HS 0703.90, the subheading for leeks and other alliaceous vegetables. Before you import leeks from Turkey for the first time, have your customs broker confirm the classification. On the documentary side, Hatipoğlu Tarım has ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 10002, GLOBALG.A.P. IFA and GRASP certification, and lots for Europe are all subject to residue analysis. Two articles give the background: EU pesticide MRLs and which certificates European buyers require.
Choosing a leek exporter in Turkey
A buyer comparing one leek exporter in Turkey with another can ask three things: whether the leeks are trimmed to a stated white length, who carries out selection and packing, and which certificates are held. For wider criteria, see the Turkish fruit and vegetable suppliers guide.
Import process: the six steps
A leek order passes through harvest, cooling, grading with trimming to the white length, packing in cartons, cold storage and dispatch. The truck is the unit of planning: a standard 13.60 m refrigerated truck loads 33 euro pallets.
What to include in your enquiry
Give us six details: the product, the white shank length and thickness, the packaging, the weekly volume, the delivery week and the destination country. We can be reached by phone at +90 242 339 55 25, by WhatsApp at +90 534 260 07 25 and by e-mail at 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 the white shank length you need and your weekly volume, and we will quote for leeks.
