Sweet corn suppliers work against the clock, because published research shows how quickly the cob loses quality once it is cut. Hatipoğlu Tarım is an Antalya-based exporter of fresh fruit and vegetables, founded in 2002, with sweet corn marked in all twelve months of its product calendar. Written for importers, wholesalers and retail buyers, this guide covers the husk, the two-hour cooling rule, the published storage limits, the carton, the customs position and the enquiry.
Sweet corn from Turkey: a delicate cob
Sweet corn is a delicate product that stands out for plump kernels, natural sweetness and a fresh appearance. The calendar shows it in every month. Among the lines that can ride in the same cold truck are carrots; pumpkin, another all-year line, cannot, because it needs a warmer regime.
What is checked on each cob
Cobs are selected for export on four criteria:
- Kernel fill: plump kernels along the cob.
- Husk integrity: a complete husk, since the cob is shipped inside it.
- Colour: colour of husk and kernels.
- Freshness: the overall fresh look of husk and cob.
The maturity signs published by UC Davis help at intake. The silks have dried while the kernels are still immature; the husk leaves are tight and green; the kernels are plump and milky, not doughy, when squeezed.
Husk on: how a fresh corn on the cob supplier ships
The corn is harvested together with its natural husk, which protects the kernels against drying out, and it is dispatched without the husk being removed. A fresh corn on the cob supplier that ships this way delivers the cob still in its husk.
Cooling begins within two hours
The company states that cooling is started within the first two hours after cutting, to help preserve the natural sugar and the quality of the product. This is the company’s own statement about sweet corn and the only timing it gives.
Research points in the same direction. UC Davis describes the rapid removal of field heat and uninterrupted cooling as essential, and notes that sweet corn is usually hydrocooled and iced. That last remark describes general industry practice in the published sheet, not the company’s method.
Storage limits in the published data
The UC Davis figures are 0–1.5 °C and 95–98% relative humidity. Even at the ideal temperature, standard sweet corn is not stored for more than a few days because quality falls quickly; if short storage is unavoidable, the limit is 7 days, transport included. Supersweet (sh-2) varieties have been stored at 0 °C for up to 21 days with acceptable quality. For buyers who import sweet corn these research values mean that transit time counts against the life of the product, so the delivery week and the route deserve attention early. For sweet corn wholesale this means short, regular deliveries rather than stock.
Sweet corn shares the 0 °C, high-humidity regime with cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, radish and carrot, and can be loaded with them. Pallet patterns are discussed in loading a reefer container, and temperature control in cold chain in fresh produce export.
Carton and HS position
The cobs are packed, husk on, in 60 × 40 × 15 cm cartons. Euro pallets of 80 × 120 cm carry the cartons. The simplest unit of quantity in an order is the pallet.
Sweet corn is generally declared under HS 0709.99, the six-digit position for other vegetables. Because the wording is general, make sure your customs broker confirms the full tariff line before shipment.
Certificates and residue testing
On the documentation side the company can show ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 10002, GLOBALG.A.P. IFA and GRASP. Residue analysis is performed on each lot that is sent to Europe. The article on which certificates European buyers require puts these into context.
Six steps, one company
Between the field and your warehouse there are six steps, and Hatipoğlu Tarım handles them in house: harvest in the husk, cooling, grading, packing in cartons, cold storage and dispatch. Trucks are the planning unit; a standard refrigerated truck measures 13.60 m and takes 33 euro pallets.
Your enquiry
For a quotation, tell us the type, the cob size, the packaging, the quantity per week, the delivery week and the destination country. Telephone: +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.
Send us your weekly pallet count, delivery weeks and destination for sweet corn, and let us prepare the season plan and the price quotation.
