Seeds ExporterDried Sea Buckthorn Berries exporter — Pakistan origin
Whole dried sea buckthorn berries (Hippophae rhamnoides) from Gilgit-Baltistan and upper Chitral are exported by Kohenoor International under HS 081340 in 10 kg and 20 kg packs, MOQ 200 kg. Berries are harvested September–October at 2,500–3,500 m, shade-dried and sorted to remove stems and leaves.
Buyers in Germany, France, the UK, Korea, Japan and the US use them for tea, powder, supplements and cosmetic extracts, valued for vitamin C, carotenoids and omega-7 fatty acids.
Quick answer
Specification
Standard export specification for dried sea buckthorn berries, as it appears on the pro forma invoice and the lot report. Custom specifications (higher purity, treated seed, different pack, private label) are quoted on request.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hippophae rhamnoides |
| HS code | 081340 |
| Varieties / grades | Whole dried |
| Purity | Sorted |
| Germination | Not tested — edible / industrial grade |
| Form | Whole dried berries |
| Moisture | 12% max |
| Foreign matter (stems, leaves) | 2% max |
| Colour | Orange to deep orange |
| Drying | Shade / low-temperature, below 45 °C |
| Berry size | 4–8 mm |
| Bulk density | approx. 0.35 kg/litre |
| Vitamin C | Reported on request (typically 200–600 mg/100 g dried) |
| Total carotenoids | Reported on request |
| Pesticides | Wild-harvested; screen on request |
| Microbiology | TPC, yeast and mould, Salmonella on request |
| Packing | 10 kg / 20 kg PE-lined cartons |
| Packing | 10 kg / 20 kg |
| MOQ | 200 kg |
| Origin | Pakistan (Sindh / Punjab unless stated) |
Varieties and grades
Whole dried berries. A single grade: wild Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica berries picked with the twig, frozen or shade-dried on the twig to avoid bursting, then separated and sorted to remove stems, leaves and shrivelled fruit. Orange to deep-orange colour and 4–8 mm size are the visual grades; vitamin C and carotenoid values are reported on request. Buyers choose whole berries because they keep vitamin C better than powder and can be milled, infused or pressed at destination.
Powder is milled to order from the same berries. Seed oil and pulp oil are not currently exported; we supply whole berries to extractors who press their own. Berries are wild-harvested by collector groups in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, so there are no cultivars and volumes vary with the season.
Uses by industry
Who buys dried sea buckthorn berries from Pakistan and what they do with it.
- Herbal and fruit tea blenders. Whole berries for fruit teas and functional blends in Germany, France and the UK.
- Supplement makers. Berry powder for capsules, tablets and smoothie mixes; vitamin C and carotenoid COA.
- Functional beverage producers. Berries and powder for Korean and Japanese functional drinks.
- Oil extractors. Whole berries for pulp-oil and seed-oil pressing for cosmetics and omega-7 supplements.
- Cosmetic makers. Extracts for skin-care products.
- Natural colour and food ingredient. Powder as a natural orange colour and acidulant in foods.
Quality control and testing
Dried Sea Buckthorn Berries ship on a certificate of analysis from our laboratory or an accredited third-party laboratory in Karachi. Depending on the buyer's use the COA covers moisture, foreign matter, colour, particle or piece size, heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury), microbiology and, where relevant, the marker compound the buyer prices on. Product is sorted by hand or on screens and, for some grades, Sortex, then held in sealed lined packs in a dark, dry store until loading.
Sampling: composite from at least 10 packs, 1 kg sealed reference kept for 12 months, lot number on the COA, packing list and every pack. An MSDS accompanies every shipment and HACCP procedures cover drying, sorting and packing.
Sea buckthorn berries are released on a COA covering moisture, foreign matter, colour and size grade, and, on request, vitamin C, total carotenoids, microbiology and a pesticide screen at an accredited laboratory. Berries are shade-dried below 45 °C to protect vitamin C, sorted on screens and by hand, and packed in PE-lined cartons under HACCP; a 1 kg reference sample is kept from every lot.
How to verify on arrival. Composite-sample at least 10 packs, seal it, and test within 14 days at your own laboratory using the methods named on the COA. Moisture and foreign matter are checked first; heavy metals and microbiology are compared against the COA method limits. Discrepancies reported within 30 days are re-tested on the retained reference sample.
Packing, loading and shipping
Standard packing for dried sea buckthorn berries is 10 kg / 20 kg, in PE-lined cartons. Each pack is printed or labelled with product, variety or grade, lot number, net weight, origin (Pakistan), exporter and any text the importing country's labelling rules require, and closed with a sewn tear-off tag. Private-label printing is available with artwork two weeks before loading.
A 20ft container carries about 6–8 MT (about 600 x 10 kg per 20ft) loose-stacked on a kraft-paper floor in a brick pattern with a cardboard door wall; a 40ft carries about 14–16 MT (40ft HC). Palletised loads on ISPM 15 heat-treated pallets take roughly 10% less and are used for Europe, East Asia, North America and Australia where the container is unloaded by forklift. Desiccant bags are added for humid destinations on request. Every stuffing is photographed from empty box to applied seal and the photos go to the buyer the same day with the packing list. Full figures for every product are in the container loading guide.
Storage and shelf life. Cool, dark and dry, below 20 °C, in sealed PE-lined cartons: the berries hold colour and vitamin C for 12 months. Vitamin C falls faster in light and warmth, so keep cartons closed and consider chilled storage for stock held more than six months.
| Container | Net cargo | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 20ft standard | 6–8 MT | about 600 x 10 kg per 20ft; loose on kraft-paper floor |
| 40ft / 40ft HC | 14–16 MT (40ft HC) | Weight-limited on dense seed; volume-limited on light seed |
| Palletised (any size) | ≈ 10% less | ISPM 15 pallets, shrink-wrapped and strapped |
| LCL / air | 200 kg by air or LCL | Higher per-kg rate; used for trial lots |
Documents and import compliance
Every container of dried sea buckthorn berries leaves with the phytosanitary certificate from the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) Karachi carrying the importer's additional-declaration wording, a certificate of origin from the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce, the certificate of analysis and MSDS, commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading, plus a fumigation certificate and pre-shipment inspection report where the destination requires them. The table lists what the main destinations for this product ask for; the documents guide explains each certificate and the import guide shows the sequence.
| Country | Authority | Documents required | Transit from Karachi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | BVL / EU | Phytosanitary certificate; Certificate of origin; EU TRACES CHED-PP; commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading | 22–26 days sea |
| France | DGAL / EU | Phytosanitary certificate; Certificate of origin; EU TRACES CHED-PP; commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading | 20–25 days sea |
| United Kingdom | APHA / DEFRA | Phytosanitary certificate; Certificate of origin; IPAFFS pre-notification; commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading | 22–26 days sea |
| South Korea | APQA | Phytosanitary certificate; Certificate of origin; Import declaration; commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading | 20–25 days sea |
| Japan | MAFF Plant Protection | Phytosanitary certificate; Certificate of origin; commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading | 22–28 days sea |
| United States | USDA APHIS | Phytosanitary certificate; Certificate of origin; APHIS import permit where required; commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading | 30–40 days sea |
HS classification. Dried sea buckthorn berries are HS 0813.40 (other dried fruit). EU and UK food imports enter with a COA and CHED-D; Korea (MFDS) and Japan (MHLW) apply food-import notification and residue monitoring; the US importer files FDA prior notice. Sea buckthorn is not a novel food in the EU. Duty is zero in the EU (GSP+) and low elsewhere.
Season, new crop and availability
Harvest September–October; dried berries ship from November after drying and sorting. Volumes are limited by the wild harvest and by the altitude and access of the collection areas, so we confirm availability against each enquiry and hold reserved stock for repeat buyers who commit in advance.
Tea blenders and supplement makers in Europe contract in November–January for the year; Korean and Japanese beverage buyers order through the year from stock. Prior-season stock is sold with its current vitamin C value.
The availability calendar shows every product month by month, and prior-crop lots are always described as such on the pro forma.
Price factors and how to get today's rate
Kohenoor does not publish a price for dried sea buckthorn berries because a price is only meaningful for a specific lot, grade, pack, quantity and date. A firm FOB Karachi or CIF quote in USD per kg or per MT comes back within 24 hours of an enquiry and is held for 7–14 days. What moves the number, in order of size:
- Crop year and timing. Pre-harvest bookings are fixed and usually lowest; spot prices rise in a short crop or when prior-crop stock runs down before new crop. Difference between the two can be 15–20%.
- Grade and purity. A single whole-berry grade is offered; price differences come from colour and size grade, the season's harvest size and whether vitamin C, carotenoid, microbial or pesticide tests are requested. Powder is priced on the berry grade plus milling. Air freight per kg dominates orders under 300 kg.
- Packing. 25 kg loose bags are the base; 50 kg is slightly cheaper per kg; 10 kg, cartons, private label and palletising add 2–8%.
- Quantity. Each additional container in one contract is priced 2–5% lower; LCL lots cost 20–40% more per kg because inspection, documents and handling are the same for 2 MT as for 20 MT.
- Incoterm. FOB Karachi is the base; CIF adds freight and insurance at the current line rate for your port; road delivery to Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia is priced per truck.
- Tests and treatment. Third-party COA, residue or aflatoxin panels, SGS inspection, fumigation and seed treatment are itemised at cost.
Samples. 200 g to 1 kg from the offered lot is free against courier charges (typically USD 40–90) and goes out with the current report. Larger trial lots are invoiced at the container rate. The full logic, MOQ table and sample policy are on seed prices and MOQ.
How this compares
Botanical buyers compare sea buckthorn with rose petals and licorice as Pakistani tea and extract ingredients; all three ship by LCL in cartons or bales with a COA.
| Criterion | Dried Sea Buckthorn Berries | <a href="/products/rose-petals/">Dried Rose Petals & Buds</a> | <a href="/products/licorice/">Licorice Root</a> |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Whole dried berries | Petals, buds, powder | Whole root, cut, powder |
| Main use | Tea, supplements, oil | Tea, cosmetics, confectionery | Extract, tea, confectionery |
| MOQ | 200 kg | 100 kg | 1 x 20ft (LCL 3 MT) |
| 20ft / 40ft HC | 6–8 / 14–16 MT | 3–4 / 6–8 MT | 12 / 22–24 MT |
| Harvest | Sep–Oct | Apr–May | Oct–Mar |
| Marker compound | Vitamin C, omega-7 | Colour, aroma | Glycyrrhizin |
| HS | 081340 | 060390 | 121120 |
Markets served
Kohenoor has shipped dried sea buckthorn berries to Germany, France, United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, United States. Demand comes from tea blenders and supplement makers in Germany, France and the UK, functional-beverage producers in Korea and Japan, and oil extractors serving the cosmetic market. Each destination has its own permit and phytosanitary wording; the country pages under markets summarise them and we prepare the certificate to match before DPP inspection.
Specialist site and further reading
Detailed agronomy, variety trials and technical downloads for dried sea buckthorn berries are published on our specialist site herbnseed.com. For pricing, MOQ and shipping use the quote form on this page; the lab and sorting line are described on the quality page, and all 28 lines are listed under products.
Frequently asked questions
Are the berries wild or cultivated?
Wild-harvested from natural stands in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral by our collector network, then dried and sorted at a central facility. No pesticides are used; a residue screen is available on request.
What is the MOQ for sea buckthorn?
200 kg, shipped by air or LCL in 10 kg cartons. Container quantities are possible but depend on the season's harvest.
Do you supply sea buckthorn oil or powder?
Powder is available milled to order. Oil is not currently exported; we supply whole berries to extractors who press their own pulp and seed oil.
How should dried sea buckthorn be stored?
Cool, dark and dry, below 20 °C. In sealed PE-lined cartons the berries hold colour and vitamin C for 12 months; chilled storage is recommended for stock held more than six months.
What vitamin C content do the berries have?
Typically 200–600 mg per 100 g of dried berries depending on harvest timing and drying; we report the value per lot on request from an accredited laboratory, along with total carotenoids.
How are the berries dried?
Shade-dried or low-temperature dried below 45 °C, often on the twig to avoid bursting, then separated and sorted. This keeps colour and vitamin C better than sun or heat drying.
How much sea buckthorn fits in a container?
About 6–8 MT in a 20ft and 14–16 MT in a 40ft high-cube in 10 kg cartons. Most buyers order 200 kg to 2 MT by air or LCL because of the limited wild harvest.
Is sea buckthorn a novel food in the EU?
No. Sea buckthorn berries, juice and oil have a history of consumption in the EU and are not on the novel-food list; they enter as a food of plant origin with a COA and CHED-D.
When is new-crop sea buckthorn available?
From November after the September–October harvest, drying and sorting. Volumes vary with the wild harvest, so repeat buyers reserve stock in advance and we confirm availability per enquiry.
Which subspecies do you supply?
Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica, the wild sea buckthorn of the western Himalaya and Hindu Kush, stated on the COA and phytosanitary certificate.
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export@kohenoorint.com · +92 310 4929292 · Reply within 24 hours