Sourcing bulk dried fruit well is as much about the commercial terms as the product itself. A great fig grade bought on the wrong Incoterm, in the wrong quantity, at the wrong point in the season can still cost you margin and headaches. This guide covers the three procurement fundamentals UK and EU buyers ask about most.
Incoterms: who carries the cost and risk
The delivery term decides where the supplier's responsibility ends and yours begins:
- FOB (Free On Board) — the supplier delivers, cleared for export, onto the vessel. Freight, insurance, customs, and inland delivery are yours. Best for buyers with an established freight and customs setup.
- CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) — the supplier adds ocean freight and insurance to the origin port of destination. You handle import clearance onward.
- DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) — the supplier delivers to your door with freight, customs, and duties handled. Simplest for the buyer; best for lower-volume or first-time importers.
None is automatically "cheapest" — compare them on landed cost, not headline price, because FOB excludes the freight and clearance you will pay separately.
MOQ: think in pallets and containers
Minimum order quantity depends on the product, packing format (2.5 / 5 / 10 / 20 kg), and delivery term. As a rule of thumb, trials are quoted at pallet level and volume programmes at container level, where the economics are strongest. A precise spec lets a supplier quote an accurate minimum rather than a cautious one.
Lead time: plan around the harvest
Dried fruit is a seasonal, sun-dried crop. Figs and raisins come off the Aegean harvest in late summer and autumn; apricots from Malatya on a similar cycle. Major volumes should be planned around that calendar, with lead time allowed for production, quality checks, documentation, and sea freight. Sharing a forecast lets a producer reserve the right grade before the best lots are committed.
Make the brief do the work
Every one of these decisions becomes simpler with a precise brief. When you request a quote, include: product and grade, target volume, packing format, delivery term, destination port, and any certification or residue limits. As a family business with over twenty years in dried fruit — a Tuna Sourcing division — Dried Figs Co. UK builds quotes from that written standard, with retained samples and documented lots.
Send us your procurement brief and we will come back with terms, MOQ, lead time, and a sample plan.