MOQ tiers
| Tier | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | 100 kg LCL | — |
| Commercial | 500 kg–2 MT LCL | — |
Dried Sea Buckthorn Berries Exporter & Wholesale Supplier — 35+ Origins, 80+ Destinations
Kehkashan exports dried sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) berries from origin partners in Pakistan-Hunza, Mongolia, and Russia — supplied in bulk FCL or LCL with FOB Jebel Ali, CFR, or CIF terms to nutraceutical extractors and cosmetic formulators across 80+ destinations.
- 35+ origins
- 80+ destinations
- ISTA / OECD certified
- LC at sight (USD/EUR)
Reference image. Sample lots and product-specific photography available on RFQ.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Hippophae rhamnoides
- Also known as
- Sea-buckthorn, Seaberry, Tsermang, Leh berry, النبق البحري, облепиха
- HS code
- 0813.40
- Common varieties
- H. rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica, H. rhamnoides ssp. mongolica, Sun-dried whole berry, Freeze-dried whole berry, Berry powder 60-80 mesh, Dried pulp / pomace, Dried leaves
- Origins available
- Pakistan, India, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, MN, Germany
- MOQ
- 300 kg starter, FCL volumes available
- Pack sizes
- 5 kg food-grade vacuum bag, 10 kg cartons with foil liner, 25 kg cartons (bulk grade)
- Specs
- Moisture: < 14%, Vitamin C: 500–1500 mg / 100 g (variety-dependent), Origin grade: Wild-harvest · High-altitude (1,800+ m), Process: Sun-dried · Freeze-dried (on request), End uses: Tea · Nutraceutical · Cosmetic · Confectionery
- Lead time
- 21–35 days from PO confirmation
- Incoterms
- FOB Jebel Ali · CFR · CIF · DAP
- Payment terms
- LC at sight · TT · DP
Specification & container math
FOB pricing bands (RFQ)
| Grade | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Pakistan-Hunza / Ladakh (sun-dried) | RFQ — mid tier |
| Mongolian / Russian Altai (sun-dried) | RFQ — mid tier |
| Freeze-dried (premium) | RFQ — top tier |
| Wild-harvest organic-certified | RFQ — top tier |
Lead times — top destinations
| Discharge port | Transit | Incoterm |
|---|---|---|
| Karachi (Pakistan, FOB) | 0 days | FOB |
| Jebel Ali (UAE) | 4–6 days | CFR / CIF |
| Jeddah Islamic Port (KSA) | 8–12 days | CFR / CIF |
| Dammam (KSA) | 7–10 days | CFR / CIF |
| Mombasa (Kenya) | 14–20 days | CFR / CIF |
- Packaging formats
- 5 kg vacuum bag · 10 kg cartons foil-lined · 25 kg cartons
- Container capacity
- LCL typical; FCL on programme
Documentation set per shipment
Every container leaves UAE Free Zone with the document pack below. Additional certificates (Halal, SASO conformity, BRC, organic, FairWild, etc.) are added on request before vessel loading.
- Bill of Lading (BL) — original 3/3 set
- Commercial Invoice — UAE Free Zone issued
- Packing List with lot codes
- Certificate of Origin (CoO) — Dubai Chamber attested
- Phytosanitary Certificate — origin NPPO
- EU Mycotoxin / Aflatoxin test report (per EU 1881/2006)
- Heavy-metals test report (Pb, Cd, As, Hg)
- Microbiological test (Salmonella, E. coli, total plate count)
- Fumigation Certificate
- Form A (GSP) where applicable
Sea buckthorn berry origins: Hunza, Ladakh, Mongolia, Russian Altai
Wild Hippophae rhamnoides is picked in Hunza and Skardu valleys at 2,400 to 3,800 metres, in Ladakh, in Mongolia's Khovd and Selenge provinces, and in Russian Altai plantations. European nutraceutical extractors favour Hunza and Altai lots for titration. Korean and Japanese tea blenders take Mongolian sun-dried. German clean-label brands pay for EU-organic Mecklenburg fruit.
Sea buckthorn subspecies and cultivars: turkestanica, mongolica, rhamnoides
Hunza and Ladakh fruit is subspecies turkestanica, a small acidic berry with the highest vitamin C. Mongolian and Altai material is subspecies mongolica, including Russian cultivars Chuyskaya and Altaiskaya bred for larger fruit and oil. Chinese Inner Mongolia grows subspecies sinensis. German plantations run subspecies rhamnoides cultivars Leikora, Hergo, and Askola, milder but EU-organic.
Sea buckthorn COA fields beyond vitamin C: carotenoids, metals, residues
Alongside vitamin C in milligrams per 100 grams and omega-7 percent in seed and pulp oil, the COA states format, moisture below 14 percent, foreign matter below 0.2 percent for nutraceutical grade, and beta-carotene at 80 to 200 milligrams per 100 grams. Lead, cadmium, aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, and an LC-MS pesticide scan complete it.
Sea buckthorn buyers: nutraceutical extractors, cosmetic labs, tea blenders
Nutraceutical extractors in Germany, Finland, and Poland press dried berries for seed oil capsules and immune powders. Cosmetic formulators specify pulp-oil omega-7 for serums and balms. Tea blenders in Korea and Japan cut sun-dried berries into fruit infusions. Functional beverage start-ups buy 500 to 2,000 kilograms; equine and canine joint supplements take bulk grade.
Shipping dried sea buckthorn from Jebel Ali to Hamburg, Busan, Jeddah
Hunza berries truck to Karachi and reach Jebel Ali in 4 to 6 days. From Jebel Ali, Jeddah is 5 to 8 days, Hamburg 21 to 28 days, Busan 21 to 28 days, and New York 28 to 35 days. Dried whole berries ship ambient with desiccant; freeze-dried and oils move reefer or nitrogen-flushed.
Sea buckthorn pricing: FOB Karachi versus CIF Hamburg by titration band
Dried sea buckthorn is quoted against an RFQ as FOB Karachi, FOB Jebel Ali, CFR, or CIF destination. Price moves on vitamin C band, sun-dried versus freeze-dried process, organic certification, origin, and carton count. Contracts fixed in November after the August-to-October harvest price below spring spot; custom-titration blends carry extra lab and lot-management cost.
Sea buckthorn QA: titration sample, accredited lab, harvest-plot traceability
A 250 gram to 1 kilogram sample ships with a draft COA and the cooperative's collection-valley record. Buyers confirm vitamin C and omega-7 at Eurofins, SGS, or Intertek. Lots below the contracted titration are rejected at origin. Proforma follows approval, settled by LC at sight or TT, and stuffing is photographed with seal numbers.
Sea buckthorn container math: light cargo per 20-foot, 40-foot, LCL
Dried sea buckthorn cubes out early. A 20-foot FCL takes 10 to 12 metric tonnes of sun-dried berries in 25 kilogram cartons, or 6 to 8 tonnes of freeze-dried fruit in 5 kilogram vacuum pouches. A 40-foot high-cube reaches 18 to 20 tonnes. Most orders move LCL from 300 kilograms via Jebel Ali.
Sea buckthorn import compliance: EU contaminants, US FDA, Korea MFDS
Dried berries enter the EU under HS 0813.40 with EC 1881/2006 contaminant limits, pesticide MRL compliance, and a fumigation certificate; whole berries have traditional food history, so no Novel Food dossier is needed. United States importers hold FSVP records and file FDA prior notice. Korea's MFDS tests residues at Busan on each consignment.
Procurement-team questions
Answers to the questions buyers ask us most often during RFQ and trial-shipment evaluation.
- Sun-dried versus freeze-dried — what to specify?
- Sun-dried preserves polyphenols at lower cost but degrades 30–40% of vitamin C and flavonoids during drying. Freeze-dried preserves > 90% of nutritional spectrum but costs 3–4× sun-dried because of equipment and energy. Nutraceutical extractors and premium retail (kombucha, smoothie powder, supplement formulators) want freeze-dried. Tea-blenders and bakery-inclusion buyers accept sun-dried.
- What vitamin C content should I specify?
- High-altitude (Ladakh, Hunza, Mongolian Altai) sun-dried sea-buckthorn typically tests 500–800 mg vitamin C per 100 g. Lowland / cultivated lots test 200–400 mg / 100 g. Freeze-dried high-altitude lots test 1,000–1,500 mg / 100 g. Specify mg/100 g on COA; we screen at origin and reject any lot below the specified threshold.
- Is the omega-7 oil content preserved in dried berries?
- The omega-7 (palmitoleic acid) oil is concentrated in the seed (oil ~12% by weight) and pulp (oil ~3%). Drying preserves the seed-oil profile fully. Whole dried berry lots ship with seed intact for buyers extracting oil downstream. Pulp-only dried lots (seedless) command 30–40% premium for direct retail / nutraceutical inclusion where the seed is not wanted.
- Where does the best sea-buckthorn come from?
- High-altitude wild-harvest gives the highest active-compound spectrum: Ladakh (India, 2,500–4,000 m), Hunza (Pakistan, 2,000–3,500 m), Mongolian Altai (1,500–3,000 m), Russian Altai (1,000–2,500 m), Northern China (Inner Mongolia, 1,000–2,500 m). Lowland European cultivation (Germany, Romania) is high-volume but lower active-compound. Match origin to formulator spec.
- How long is the shelf life?
- Sun-dried whole berries: 18–24 months at < 14% moisture in foil-lined cartons. Freeze-dried: 24–36 months in vacuum-sealed pouches. Vitamin C declines 15–25% per year of storage; omega-7 oil profile holds longer. Premium buyers want lots dispatched within 6 months of harvest for nutraceutical / cosmetic extraction work.
- Can you supply organic-certified sea-buckthorn?
- Yes — Mongolian and Russian Altai wild-harvest ECOCERT-organic and EU-organic certified lots are available at 30–50% premium over conventional. Ladakhi / Hunza wild-harvest is largely de-facto organic but not certified — we provide a wild-harvest declaration in lieu. Certified-organic MOQ 200 kg LCL minimum because of segregated origin handling.
Related buyer guides & trade briefs
Long-form guides written by the Kehkashan trade desk for buyers and procurement teams scoping origin trade-offs, variety codes, and documentation flows.
trade brief
Sea Buckthorn Berries (Hippophae rhamnoides) — Buyer's Guide 2026
Trade-desk reference for sea buckthorn importers: Pakistani Gilgit-Baltistan vs Chinese origin economics, oil yield, omega-7 content, EU food compliance.
12 min readRead the guide →
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