Finding a quince supplier is mostly a question of timing and handling: the fruit has one autumn harvest, a supply window that closes in January, and a skin that bruises more easily than its hard flesh suggests. Hatipoğlu Tarım is an Antalya-based exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables, active since 2002, and ships quince from September to January. The sections below are meant for importers, wholesalers and retail buyers who are planning an autumn and winter programme.
What buyers get with Turkish quince
Quince is one of the durable fruits of autumn: golden yellow, large, firm in texture and with a pronounced aroma. Our Turkish quince is prepared in its natural appearance. The grey down that covers the skin is not polished away, so the fruit keeps its natural appearance. Buyers who expect a polished, shiny quince should know this before they order.
Harvest from September, supply until January
Harvest begins in September. Kept under suitable cool storage conditions, quince holds its aroma and can be supplied until January, which gives a five-month calendar: September, October, November, December and January.
Two other pome fruits start in the same month. The Deveci pear is picked in September and the apple harvest opens then too; see our guide to Golden Delicious. For buyers interested in a less common autumn fruit, we also supply medlar.
How export quince is selected
Our selection rests on four criteria: fruit size, skin integrity, firmness and overall quality.
- Size: large fruit, uniform within the crate.
- Skin integrity: no cuts, punctures or bruises, with the natural down in place.
- Firmness: firm fruit. According to data published by UC Davis, quince is picked fully yellow and still firm.
- Colour: the same source names the change of skin colour from green to yellow as the primary maturity index.
A firm fruit that still bruises
The firm flesh can mislead. UC Davis notes that quince bruises easily and has to be handled with care. The published data also identify blue mould (Penicillium expansum) as the most common postharvest disease, and the two measures named against it are careful handling that keeps wounds to a minimum and rapid cooling to 0 °C.
Storage figures from the research
In the data published by UC Davis, the optimum temperature for quince is 0 °C at a relative humidity of 90–95%. The highest freezing point is given as −2 °C, and the storage potential as 2–3 months. Quince is a climacteric fruit.
These are research values. Our own statement is simpler: quince kept in suitable cool storage is supplied until January. How the temperature is protected on the road is explained in the cold chain article.
Crates, pallets and loading partners
Quince is packed in carton, wooden or plastic crates and arranged according to the shipment plan. Three of the listed packs share one size, 30 × 50 × 12.5 cm, in carton, wood and plastic; the fourth is a carton of 60 × 40 × 15 cm. See packaging and case sizes in export for the way these sizes fit the 80 × 120 cm euro pallet.
We plan each shipment as a truck. A standard refrigerated truck of 13.60 m holds 33 euro pallets, and quince does not have to fill them alone: apples and pears are transported at a similar temperature, around 0 °C, and may be loaded with it. Like them, quince produces ethylene. It is therefore not advisable to place it beside ethylene-sensitive goods such as leafy vegetables and cucumbers. Nor can it ride with greenhouse tomatoes, peppers, aubergines or cucumbers, whose transport temperature is around 10 °C.
HS code for quince
Quince has its own six-digit subheading, HS 0808.40. Before shipment, have your customs broker confirm the full tariff line that applies in your country.
Certificates and residue analysis
As a quince exporter in Turkey we hold five certificates: ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 10002, GLOBALG.A.P. IFA and GRASP. All lots shipped to Europe pass through residue analysis. Further reading: EU pesticide MRLs and, on choosing a partner, the guide to Turkish fruit and vegetable suppliers.
From harvest to your warehouse
If you import quince from Turkey with us, the fruit passes through six in-house steps. It is harvested from September onwards and cooled. It is then graded by size and firmness, packed in the crate you have specified with its down intact, placed in cold storage and finally dispatched in a refrigerated truck.
Quince wholesale and retail orders: getting a quote
For quince wholesale and retail orders we ask for the same six points: variety, size, packaging, weekly volume, delivery week and destination country. You can phone +90 242 339 55 25, send a WhatsApp message to +90 534 260 07 25 or write to 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.
Use the contact page to send us your crate choice, weekly volume and delivery weeks for quince, and a quotation will follow.
