A spring onion supplier is judged on cleanliness as much as on freshness, because field soil and sand lodge between the leaves of this crop. Hatipoğlu Tarım is an Antalya-based exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables, established in 2002, and it ships spring onions in every month of the year. The guide is addressed to importers, wholesalers and retail buyers.
Spring onions from Turkey: the product
The spring onion, called green onion in some markets, has a white shank, bright green leaves and a fresh aroma, and it is in demand all year. Spring onions from Turkey are selected by the company on the integrity of the shank, the freshness of the leaves and cleanliness. The related allium in this series is the leek; for herbs, see fresh parsley.
Two-stage washing
Field soil and the sand that lodges between the leaves are removed by washing the product in two stages. The result is easy to check on arrival: open a bunch and look between the leaves.
Bunched by count, cooled without delay
After washing, the onions are made up into regular bunches by count, not by weight, and cooled without loss of time. For green onions wholesale, the number of onions per bunch is therefore the figure to agree in the order. Buyers who import spring onions from Turkey will find every month from January to December on the product calendar; other products are shown in the season calendar.
Quality according to research
The UC Davis fact sheet for green bunching onions describes good quality in these terms:
- Shank: a thin white shank of at least 5–7.5 cm.
- Form: well shaped, turgid and brightly coloured.
- Cleanliness: well cleaned.
- Defects: no broken or crushed leaves and no dried cut ends.
Temperature, shelf life and the three-hour rule
The figures here come from UC Davis and are not a company specification. The optimum is 0 °C with relative humidity above 98%. At that temperature spring onions stay fresh for up to four weeks; at 10 °C the typical life is 7–10 days. Freezing injury begins at −1.0 °C. The product is described as highly perishable: removing the heat of respiration and preventing water loss are critical. Unless cooling starts within three hours of harvest and the cold chain is kept, bruising quickly turns into decay.
A further point concerns horizontal packing. In onions packed lying flat, the young shoots bend upwards; rapid cooling and 0 °C largely prevent this curvature. See the cold chain in fresh produce export.
Odour and mixed loads
Spring onions are not sensitive to external ethylene, according to the same source. Their own odour is the issue: products such as apples, grapes and mushrooms can absorb it. Spring onions are carried at around 0 °C and can be loaded with lettuces and fresh herbs, but the odour can pass to other products, so tell us what else is on the order. Greenhouse vegetables carried at around 10 °C need another vehicle.
Ventilated crates and the customs heading
Packing is in ventilated plastic crates of 30 × 50 × 22 cm. The crates travel on 80 × 120 cm euro pallets; the guide to packaging and case sizes in export has the comparison. Spring onions fall under HS heading 0703; the subheading depends on the species, so ask your customs broker to confirm the full code before shipment.
Documents and residues
Buyers can ask about the residue analysis, which is made for every lot going to Europe, and for the certificates: ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 10002, GLOBALG.A.P. IFA and GRASP. The article on EU pesticide MRLs explains the limits.
How a spring onion exporter in Turkey runs the order
As a spring onion exporter in Turkey, the company takes each order through harvest, two-stage washing and cooling, grading, bunching and packing, cold storage and dispatch. Loading is planned by the truck; a standard refrigerated truck, 13.60 m long, holds 33 euro pallets.
Quotation
Let us know the type, the number of onions per bunch, the packaging, the weekly volume, the delivery week and the destination country. Phone: +90 242 339 55 25; WhatsApp: +90 534 260 07 25; 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.
Tell us the number of onions per bunch and your weekly volume, and we will send a quotation for spring onions.
