Turks fruit
The Dutch word means Turkish fruit and it names the sweet, not a fruit: the starch-set cube, rose or lemon, dusted with sugar, sold in the Turkish supermarkets, at the market and in the delicatessens, and known to a whole country through a film title. What that gives an importer is a product that needs no explaining, on a shelf that already exists, with a name the shopper already uses. It is sold by the kilo and by the box, and it sells all year.
The lokum from Gaziantep
Starch-set cubes dusted with sugar or coconut, rose, lemon and pomegranate, the Gaziantep finger roll filled with whole pistachio and coated in coconut or kadayif, and chocolate covered pieces for the confectionery case. Made in Gaziantep, boxed for retail or cut in bulk for the counter. The pistachio roll is the line the Dutch delicatessens ask for first, because the pistachio is what Gaziantep is known for. The Turkish delight page lists the groups and the Turkish delight explained article covers the recipe.
Which lokum for which shelf
The dusted cube in a printed box is the gift line, for the delicatessen, the airport and the December table; the roll cut to order is the counter line, for the Turkish supermarket and the market stall; the chocolate covered piece belongs with the chocolate, in the confectionery case next to the dragées. An importer usually starts with the box, because it needs no handling and travels dry, and adds the roll when a counter customer asks for it. The offer states the format, the case weight and the shelf life we declare for each line.
The route into the country
Plain lokum travels dry all year, by road trailer through Europe or by sea to Rotterdam; the chocolate covered pieces go in the reefer with the chocolate lines in the warm months. The goods travel with an A.TR movement certificate under the customs union, the label follows the EU food information rules in Dutch, and the importer is registered as a food business. The unit of sale is one mixed container or trailer, so Turkish delight travels on its own pallet next to chocolate, dragées and sweets rather than as a full load.
What to send first
The lines from the chocolate page, the dragée page and the Turkish delight page, the quantity per line, whether you want the load by road or by sea to Rotterdam, and whether any line carries your own brand. The written offer follows within two working days, in US dollars and the A.TR paperwork listed; the samples page explains how to taste the lines first, and the Netherlands page lists what stays the same on every offer.
Every line here is made in our own factory at Başpınar OSB, Gaziantep — a 10,000 m² site, exporting since 2002 — and certificate copies are available on request.
Is the Turkish delight the real lokum?
Yes: starch-set lokum made in Gaziantep, dusted cubes and the pistachio roll. The Dutch call it Turks fruit; the box says Turkish delight and lokum.
Does Turkish delight need a reefer?
Plain lines travel dry all year. Chocolate covered pieces travel in the reefer with the chocolate lines in the warm months.
Can it carry our brand?
Yes, on selected lines: retail boxes and jars under your name, with the label content prepared to the EU rules in Dutch.
