How to Import Herbs and Spices from Egypt: A Buyer's Guide
Egypt is one of the world's main origins for dried herbs, aromatic seeds and herbal tea ingredients. Chamomile, hibiscus, peppermint, spearmint, lemongrass, marjoram, basil, fennel, anise, caraway, coriander and black seed are all grown along the Nile valley and in Fayoum. This guide explains, step by step, how an importer can source these products from Egypt, using our own process at Pure Herbs Egypt as the example.
1. Choose the product and the form
Most herbs can be supplied whole, cut & sifted, tea-bag cut (TBC) or powder. Seeds are supplied whole, machine-cleaned and sorted, or ground to a specified mesh size. State the form, the cut size or mesh, and the intended use (tea blends, food manufacturing, extraction, retail packing) when you ask for a quote, because these decide the grade and the price.
2. Check the producer and its certificates
Buying from a producer rather than a broker gives you traceability and steadier quality. Pure Herbs Egypt farms around 2,000 feddans in Fayoum and works with contracted growers, with two dedicated facilities: one for seeds and one for herbs. Our certifications include EU Organic, USDA Organic, FSSC 22000, ISO 9001:2015, HACCP and FDA registration. Ask any supplier for current, valid copies of the certificates that matter for your market.
3. Ask for a sample and a specification
Before the first order, request a sample (we send from 450 g per product) and a product specification. Every lot we ship is checked in our in-house lab for moisture and impurities, and a Certificate of Analysis is supplied with each shipment. For pesticide residues, buyers commonly request third-party laboratory reports for their target market.
4. Agree quantity, packing and loading
Our minimum order quantity is 2 metric tons per product. Standard packing is 25 kg kraft paper bags with an inner liner; some products can also be packed in 50 kg bags or jumbo bags. Container loads depend on the product and cut: for example, cut hibiscus loads about 8 MT in a 20ft container and 18 MT in a 40ft container.
5. Agree payment terms and Incoterms
We quote FOB Egypt by default, with other Incoterms on request. We accept most international payment methods, including bank transfer (T/T), cash against documents (CAD) and letters of credit (L/C).
6. Production, documents and shipping
Production and preparation take about 15 days from order confirmation. Each shipment is accompanied by the commercial and quality documents your customs and customers require, such as the commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate and Certificate of Analysis. We ship directly from Egypt.
Request a quotation
Email [email protected] or message us on WhatsApp at +20 105 055 1313 with the product, cut or mesh, quantity and destination port. Samples are available on request. See also our FAQ for importers.