A fresh peas supplier works against a process that starts at the moment of picking: the natural sugar in the pea gradually turns into starch. That is why the speed of cooling after harvest matters so much for the quality a buyer receives. Hatipoğlu Tarım has been an exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables in Antalya since 2002; it cools its peas within the first hour after picking and moves them into dispatch without holding them back. This guide answers the practical questions of importers, wholesalers and retail buyers.
The product: peas in the pod
Fresh peas are described by the company as a delicate product with a bright green pod, full seeds and natural sweetness, one that needs fast handling after harvest. Selection for export is based on pod integrity, seed fullness, colour and freshness.
Season: March to October
The supply period runs from March to October. Buyers who import fresh peas from Turkey should send their delivery weeks inside that window, together with the weekly quantity, so that the programme can be discussed in good time. Our season calendar shows which other products are available in the same months.
Sugar, starch and the first hour
Because sugar converts to starch after harvest, rapid cooling is important for the quality of this product; that is how the company’s product text puts it. Its practice follows from this: the peas are cooled within the first hour after they are picked and go on into the shipment process without waiting. If you are comparing green peas wholesale suppliers, the time between picking and cooling is the first question to ask each of them.
Quality criteria
- Pod integrity: whole, undamaged pods.
- Seed fullness: well-filled pods.
- Colour: bright green.
- Freshness: a fresh appearance.
Research adds one point on seed size. According to data published by the UC Davis Postharvest Center, large seeds become starchy quickly.
What the research says about temperature
UC Davis publishes its pea fact sheet for edible-pod peas, that is snow peas and snap peas, and there is no separate sheet for garden peas shipped in the pod. The values below are therefore data published for pea types, not a specification for this product and not a description of the company’s procedures.
For edible-pod peas the optimum is 0 °C at a relative humidity of 95–98%. They are highly perishable: as published for edible-pod peas, good quality is not kept for more than two weeks. Under the common distribution conditions of 5–10 °C, defects develop faster. The source lists wilting, yellowing, loss of tenderness, starchiness and decay. Peas are moderately sensitive to ethylene, which speeds up yellowing and decay, and the calyx reacts more strongly than the pod. More on temperature management is in our article on the cold chain in fresh produce export.
Which products can share the truck
Peas need 0 °C, so they can travel with other 0 °C products such as lettuce and broccoli. They do not fit the warmer loads described in our guides to green beans and okra, two products that suffer chilling injury at low temperatures. Placing peas in the same vehicle as ethylene-producing fruit is not recommended. Pallet positions are explained in the article on loading a reefer container.
Packaging and customs code
Fresh peas from Turkey leave Hatipoğlu Tarım in cartons measuring 60 × 40 × 15 cm, prepared according to the shipment plan, on euro pallets of 80 × 120 cm. The six-digit HS code for fresh peas is 0708.10. Your customs broker should confirm the complete tariff line before the goods are shipped.
Certificates and residue checks
Hatipoğlu Tarım is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 22000 and ISO 10002 and holds GLOBALG.A.P. IFA and GRASP. A residue analysis is carried out on every lot that goes to Europe. For the limits themselves, see EU pesticide MRLs.
Import process: six steps
Peas are harvested, cooled within the first hour, graded, packed, held in cold storage and dispatched. The company runs these six steps in house. A shipment is planned as a truck: the standard 13.60 m refrigerated truck holds 33 euro pallets.
Asking for a price
A quotation needs six details from you: the type, the size, the packaging, the weekly volume, the delivery week and the destination country. Call +90 242 339 55 25, send a WhatsApp message to +90 534 260 07 25 or write to info@hatipoglutarim.com. What to look for in a partner more generally is covered in our guide to Turkish fruit and vegetable suppliers.
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.
Tell us your delivery weeks between March and October, the packaging and the weekly volume, and we will prepare the season plan and the price quotation for your peas.
