Two thirds of the shelf moves through one corridor
Ukraine is second in both categories, at 11.01% and 17.89%. The declared average import value is $6.46/kg for chocolate and $3.21/kg for sugar confectionery — a useful reference when reading a quotation.
The structure behind those percentages matters more than the percentages. A line that reaches a Kazakh shelf has often passed through a regional distributor organised around the Russian market first. The digital shelf works the same way: search most confectionery categories in Russian and the first page is largely .ru domains. Supply and discovery are fed by one chain.
The detour costs choice, not price
Trading through that distributor is normal and fast. What it takes from you is not margin — it is choice: you inherit an assortment assembled for a neighbouring market, in that market's pack formats and sizes.
Two things also go quiet. The manufacturer is not named to you, so you cannot ask it about a recipe, a format or a second run. And the label in front of you was prepared for someone else's brand. Certificates are issued for our factory, not for a distributor. We say whose they are, line by line, and pass on the copy.
The minimum sits on the line, not on the container
We sell a full container or a full truck; there are no part loads. But the minimum is not set per container. It is set per line and written in the quotation.
That is the mechanics of a mixed container. A first shipment can carry six or seven items in measured quantities instead of one item in a volume you have not tested. Each line rides on its own pallet, under one packing list. You learn which lines move in your channel before committing a container to any of them.
Chocolate travels at a temperature
Chocolate and chocolate-coated products travel at +18 to +20 °C. In the hot months a refrigerated container is quoted. If a dry container is preferred, the temperature risk passes to the buyer in writing, before loading — not in a conversation after arrival.
Not every line needs it. Lokum, sugared almonds and jelly sweets travel dry all year, so a mixed load is easier to plan than it looks: the decision is taken once, for the container, and the chocolate lines set it.
Spread, not cream — and glaze is not chocolate
The jar product is searched for as a pistachio "paste", and the word hides a commercial fork. What we sell is a spread — sweetened, spoonable, made for retail jars and for filling. It is not a 100% pastry paste for confectioners. Say which your channel needs; the quotation follows that, not the search term.
Coatings need the same care. A coating made with vegetable fat is a cocoa glaze and cannot be labelled chocolate; for the pistachio-and-kadayıf bar the quotation states, line by line, which it is. Kazakhstan applies the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union, so the pack carries the EAC mark and the declaration is made by the importer, on our technical file. We supply the file.
What to send
Send four things: the shelf you are filling — retail chain, wholesale weigh-out, HoReCa or pastry; the lines you want to test; the pack format for each, bulk carton sold by weight or retail box; and whether the label should be yours, which is a separate private label conversation where nothing goes to print without written approval.
The answer comes in writing within two working days, line by line: technical specification, ingredients and allergens, net weight, carton and pallet data, the minimum for that line, and the customs tariff heading. The quotation states what applies on the day it is issued. Payment is 50% at order and 50% before the container leaves, against loading photographs.
Do you sell less than a full container?
No. The sales unit is a full container or a full truck. What varies is the number of lines inside it: the minimum is set per line, so a first order can hold six or seven items in measured quantities.
Is the pistachio jar the same product a pastry kitchen buys?
Usually not. The jar line is a spread — sweetened and spoonable, for retail and for filling — not a 100% pastry paste. They are different products, so tell us which one your channel needs before the quotation is prepared.
Who makes the declaration for the EAC mark?
The importer. Kazakhstan applies the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union and the declaration is registered in the importer's name. Certificates and specifications are issued for our factory; copies are available on request.
